


Life on the Farm

by Ruunkur



Category: Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Genre: All digimon partners, Alternate Universe, Farm AU - Sorta, Goat birth mentions?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 11:38:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 30,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14810640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruunkur/pseuds/Ruunkur
Summary: In the French countryside, there is a farm where two chosen on the run live. They help others escape from a military life. When four people they once knew stumble into their lives, they will have to face past decisions and make a choice that could jeopardize their position. Or free their family and friends from a life no one wanted.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Farm AU! Not edited beyond spelling errors, sorry 'bout that. Basic setting: After the events of ninety nine, the governments declare all those with digimon to be enlisted in military service. Set eight years after what would have been the events of '02, we pick up with Hikari and Takeru living on a farm.
> 
> PS: All of my farm knowledge comes from past workings on a farm and my current position of working on farm. This is really bastardizing a lot of things, probably. But, enjoy! All digimon can speak any language, due to being data, because it makes a lot more sense. I took a couple liberties with ideas I've seen while searching through the digimon wiki. Such as digimon being able to be cloaked and have a "human" form, which I attribute to Wizarmon and magic. This....probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense, as the first "chapter" segment was written in about three days. But, I do like the idea.
> 
> Two goats and the dog are based off the goats and LSGD I worked with on my previous farm.
> 
> It's ASL that they sign when it comes to italics followed by conversation!
> 
> Also, digivices are totally not needed to evolve in this AU.

The figure leaned against the doorframe, watching the clouds pass overhead. It was nearly midnight, but she had been unable to sleep, something drawing her from the warmth of her bed. She pressed her head against the frame, turning away and letting out a sigh.

The young woman was nineteen, though she seemed older when one would watch her move. She was quick, though she tried to keep her actions slow. As she tread through the rather spacious house, she was quiet as a cat. She stopped outside a closed door, knocking on the wood in three soft knocks, a pause, and then two more knocks, stepping back.

"Something wrong?"

She turned when she heard the noise, nearly jumping as a young man raised his hands. "Sorry," she sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. "I guess I'm a little jumpy tonight."

"I wasn't able to sleep either," the young man admitted, stepping towards the door. She took a step back, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Something's going to happen, I can feel it." She said.

"Are you sure it's just not another storm coming?" The man asked, turning to look at her with a raised eyebrow. She lightly smacked him, shaking her head.

"You can feel the pressure and sense the humidity in the air, but something more is going to happen." She said, placing her hands on her hips. "Can...I sleep with you tonight?" She whispered.

"Of course," he said with a nod, opening the door. He lead the woman inside, sitting down and pulling back the sheets. The woman curled up next to him, the man pulling the sheets back over them and letting out a sigh.

"It's nearly the seven year mark," she said quietly.

"I know," he responded.

"Are we going to do anything about it?" She asked.

"Hikari, can we talk about it in the morning?" The man said with a yawn. "Please?"

"Of course," she said with a sigh, hiding her face in the pillow she had taken from the man. "Good night Takeru,"

"Night," he murmured.

****

The teenager grunted, shifting the weight on his back. "Are you sure we're going the right way?" He asked, turning to look at the other two people he was with.

"It should be right ahead." Another teenager's voice said, drifting to the first. They all glanced when the person on his back groaned, the third boy, one with dark blue hair, hurried over.

"Whether it's the right farm or not, we're going to get sicker standing out here." He murmured, pressing a hand to the girl's forehead. "Mi...she's already fevered and unconscious. We need to hope that we were right."

The three teenagers shared a glance, the one holding the girl looking up at the house. "Maybe they won't realize, even if it is the wrong house."

"Great, do we hope that they speak English?" The other one demanded, kicking at the ground with a scuffed shoe.

"I know enough French to get us by," the first said, growing irritable. "Come on," he added, starting towards the dark house.

"Iori-" the teenager next to him hesitated, shaking his head as Iori gave him a glower, his hair plastered to his face.

"We're going to get sick if we stay out here any longer. Come on," he insisted. "I didn't ask to travel with either of you, but I'm not letting Miyako die because we were hesitant."

Both the boys glanced at each other, the brown haired boy sighing. "Let's get it over with then." He said, his gaze settling on the farm house they could barely make out. It was several more minutes of walking across the soaked field before they made it to the doorway, Iori ducking under the overhang and knocking on the door frantically.

"Do we know if this is a smart idea?" The dark haired boy whispered to the other, his gaze sliding from Iori to his companion.

"No, but he is the one that was directed to this safe house." The brown haired boy responded, reaching out and taking his hand. "We have to have faith in someone Daisuke," he murmured.

Daisuke shook his head, easing under the overhang himself. He listened to Iori's knockings grow more frantic, the three teenagers freezing when they heard a soft thud next to them.

"What do you want here?" A boy with wild orange hair asked, hanging upside down from the overhang.

"Looking for a warm place," Iori said, ever cautious. "We were directed this way-"

"Oh, by who?" A girl with white and purple hair appeared on the other side of the poarch, leaning in close. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the situation, her gaze flicking to the young boy.

"The church in the nearby town." Daisuke said, feeling the tension between the two strange people. He glanced between them, the girl letting out a hiss.

"It's pouring rain outside, do you know how dangerous it is to be out on a night like this?" She demanded, jumping over the railing and pushing the door open. "Take her to the door on the right, you two to the room on the left. There's water in a basin that's heated. HIKARI!"

The orange and white haired boy followed behind the now confused teenagers, Daiske looking every which way. He felt Ken take his hand once more, the older boy gripping it tightly. Iori let himself and Miyako be directed to the correct room. There was a pause before a door opened, another young woman standing in it, what looked like an oversized shirt and a pair of underwear being her only clothing.

"Tail...mon? Do you know what time it is?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Sick humans show up at your doorstep and you ask about the time?" Daisuke did a double take as the form vanished, a digimon standing in front of the woman.

"Sick...oh shit, TAKERU!" Hikari called, already rushing into the room that Tailmon had indicated.

"There is no need to yell more than once." Another voice commented, entering the room and blinking. "Right, tea. Hot chocolate, what do you prefer?" He asked, seeing the two teenagers.

"Did....we walk into the right house?" Daisuke asked softly.

"Forgive the time, it's nearly one in the morning. What were you thinking, being out on a night like this?" Takeru asked, pushing Daisuke and Ken towards the room, the man himself only in a pair of boxers. "Heated water in the basin, extra clothes in the cabinets. Strip out of your wet things before you catch a cold. And where are your digimon?"

Daisuke began to move as Takeru went to set up two of the electric tea kettles for water when neither of them answered, the other man crossing his arms. "Ken...?" Daisuke asked softly.

"How can we trust them?" He asked, glancing at Daisuke. "They take in four unknown teenagers that show up at their door in the middle of the night-"

"We have to," Daisuke said sullenly. "What other choices do we have? The rain storm?"

Ken sighed, shaking his head. "I...don't know." He said finally. It was several minutes before he and Daisuke were in dry pajamas, Iori trudging to the strange room and changing before hurrying to the room he had taken Miyako. The two glanced at him, two mugs filled with hot chocolate sitting down in front of them.

"Hope you like goat's milk," Takeru said, taking a tray with three mugs into the other room. He came out, shutting the door and sat down at the table across from them, a digimon jumping up on the table and taking the bowl that Takeru had placed hot chocolate in as well.

"Goat's milk?" Ken asked with a raised eyebrow, glancing down at the cup.

"It's fresh, probably the freshest you'll ever see. Milked from the goat last night." He explained.

"Who are you?" Ken asked, placing his hands around the cup but not trusting the man enough to drink it.

"Takeru," he said. "This is Patamon," he added, nudging the digimon with his elbow. "Tailmon said the church sent you our way?"

"Yeah, the small town that's about a day's walk from here." Daisuke said with a nod.

"Which leaves the question, what happened to your digimon?" Takeru asked.

Ken glowered, Daisuke grimacing. "Sorta a sore subject, what with all the rules and regulations. You don't just ask about someone who might or might not have-"

"On Angel's wings we fly," Ken said quietly. Takeru tightened his grip on the cup, releasing it and setting it to the side.

"Japan," he mused. "Figured as much, didn't take you for French. English isn't easy to speak either, but I suppose you managed it well enough. So, how long have you been running to end up in the French countryside?"

"Five months," Ken commented, Daisuke leaning over and touching his wrist lightly.

"You're going to shatter the cup dear," he murmured. Ken relaxed his grip, Takeru watching the two. "We ran into Iori and Miyako about a month and a half ago. We knew them from school actually. They've been on the run for about two months longer than we have."

Takeru and Patamon shared a glance, the digimon letting out a yawn. "You must have run into the others then," the digimon said. "Do you have any news?"

"Others?" Ken asked with a frown.

"The...elite faction," Takeru said quietly. "If you have one of the key phrases..."

"Yeah, we met them briefly. They were supposed to apprehend us, but they gave us the cover needed to escape." Daisuke said with a nod.

"Who did you talk with?" Takeru asked.

"Blonde hair, kinda pissy about existing. He had a Gabumon partner. Worked with someone named...Taichi?" Daisuke frowned. "Don't recall, it was a very stressful time. But, now that I think about it, he looked a lot like you."

"We know of them, yeah." Takeru sighed, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. Ken and Daisuke followed suit, Ken raising an eyebrow but deciding not to comment on the connection. "You're welcome to stay until your friend is better. We can talk about options after a good night's rest. If you will tell us, we can retrieve your digimon and bring them safely here."

"They're...." Ken hesitated, his gaze flicking to Patamon before looking at Takeru.

"In the woods, four of them. An Upamon, Chibimon, Minomon, and Poromon." Daisuke said.

"Do you have digivices?" Takeru asked.

"No, we destroyed them," Ken responded, voice harsh. "How can we trust you?"

Takeru sighed, considering the question before offering him a shrug. "You can't, I guess. But, if you're here, it means you have nowhere else to go. Shall I show you to the guest bedroom?" He asked, collecting the empty mugs and placing them in the sink.

The pair exchanged a glance before nodding, Takeru taking them into one of the spare rooms, Patamon following along. Once they had shut the door, he glanced at Takeru.

"Should I take Wizarmon?" He asked.

"Yeah, bring them back as quickly as you can. I'm not sure what possessed them to leave four digimon unattended..." Takeru's voice was too soft to hear through the solid wood as he spoke, walking away with Patamon.

****

"SkullGreymon stalks the night skies,"

Hikari barely glanced up as Iori spoke for the first time since he had laid Miyako down on the matt, Hikari taking the chance while he was out of the room to change and dress her in warmer clothes. Tailmon sat at the top of the matt, watching as Hikari assessed the sickness.

"Sounds like them alright," she said, glancing up at him and sitting back.

"What are two Japanese kids doing in the French countryside with digimon?" Iori asked when she acknowledged him.

"Helping other chosen run from the stupidness of military controlled governments." Hikari explained. "We will have to give her time to rest. I will go to town tomorrow and get the necessary herbs that should help if she starts to worsen..."

"The garden is starting to grow." Tailmon said, looking up from the ill girl.

"It's still too soon to harvest," Hikari said with a shake of her head. "Besides, I want to confirm with Camille exactly what herbs are useful."

"You can't tell anyone that we're here." Iori said, reaching forward and grabbing Hikari's hand. "Please, we barely escaped and-"

"I won't tell anyone you're here. Takeru is sending out Patamon and Wizarmon to bring in your partners as we speak." Hikari said, glancing at a small color changing dish on the wall. "They'll be back in the hour. Would you like to stay with your sister or would you like to stay in the guest room?"

"We're not..." Iori shook his head. "We were raised together. But we're not actually related."

"My mistake, apologizes." Hikari said, rubbing at her temples. "Would you like to stay in here?"

"I...if you don't mind," Iori said finally. "I would rather be....'

"She's not going to die." Tailmon interrupted, watching iori's movements. The teenager's gaze flicked up to the cat digimon, letting out a sigh.

"How old are you?" Hikari asked.

"I...eighteen," he said slowly. "Miyako is twenty,"

Hikari nodded to herself, getting up. "We'll discuss options in the morning, but you're welcome to stay here until Miyako is recovered. We'll help you decide which is better and then send you on that path. Tailmon will let you know when your partners are here."

Iori glanced at the digimon, Tailmon nodding at him as she got up, following her partner out of the door. Hikari met up with Takeru, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You were right," he relented.

"Of course I was," she said with a shake of her head. "He had one of the key phrases,"

"Strange, so did the other two. Ken, the blue haired one, doesn't like us much either." Takeru ran a hand over his face, sighing.

"Yamato?" Hikari guessed.

"Yeah, Taichi?" He inquired.

"Yeah..." Hikari glanced at the time that read nearly four, moving to sit on the couch with a sigh. "Do you want to watch the sun rise?"

"It's pouring rain." Takeru commented, sitting next to her. Hikari rested her head on his shoulder, staring out the window.

"And you agreed to milk in the morning," she said, patting his leg.

"I did-....damn, I did." Takeru sighed. "You know Bos hates me."

"Give Bos an apple," Hikari suggested. "Or a banana peel,"

"She'll hate me either way," Takeru said.

"Fine, I'll milk them in the morning if you really don't want to. Just make sure to have breakfast ready for me. On second thought..." Hikari yawned, snuggling against Takeru. "We'll see who wakes up first."

"Deal," he said, closing his eyes but unable to sleep due to to the thoughts running through his head. He stared out the window, watching the rain come down in sheets, feeling better when he heard Wizarmon and Patamon herd the four baby digimon into the house.

****

Hikari frowned as she sniffed at the air, pushing herself off the couch and clutching at the blanket around her. She looked over the couch back, frowning when she saw the teenager in the kitchen, tipping her head to the side in confusion.

"What are you doing?" She asked, standing up and wrapping the blanket around her, mentally noting the need for clothes.

"Oh, cooking breakfast," the brown haired boy said, turning to her. "I don't think we officially met yesterday, Motomiya Daisuke."

"I...know you," Hikari said, glancing down at the hand he held out. He quickly pulled it back, frowning before he returned to the food.

"And you are?" He asked.

"Hikari," she said after a moment. "We went to school together,"

"Oh," Daisuke frowned, turning to her and squinting. She ran a hand through her hair, which was longer than he remembered. He glanced at Ken before nodding. "Yeah, we went to school together...I guess, I don’t remember."

"When did you get digimon?" Hikari asked, curious as she glanced down at the blue digimon by Daisuke's feet.

"About a year ago," he said. "Not sure what happened, but I had two digimentals and a digimon. And, for the last five months, Ken and I have both been on the run. We me up with Iori and Miyako about a month and a half ago. I knew it was safe to travel with them, since they were also on the run. Where's Takeru?"

"Milking the goats," Hikari said, adjusting the blanket wrapped around herself. "I'm going to check on Miyako, please don't burn down the kitchen."

"Goats...?" Ken asked with a raised eyebrow. Hikari paused, glancing back at him.

"Of course," she said with a nod. "We're a self sustained farm. All of our power is solar and wind energy, while the water is heated the same way. At least, ninety five percent of it. We rarely have to go into town. We're off the grid, as much as one can be."

"How long-" Ken began, Daisuke cutting him off.

"We can talk about it over breakfast. When should Takeru be done?" He asked.

"We're only milking two goats at the moment, unless Sylia or Muse had their kids during the night. It shouldn't be longer than an hour. He'll be bringing in fresh milk too. Tonight, we'll make dinner for everyone and discuss the options. I'll be right back." She stepped out of the kitchen, heading into her room and changing quickly before going to the second guest bedroom, knocking on the door.

Iori opened it, gesturing for Hikari to come in. She knelt down next to her, checking the girl's fever and frowning.

"What's wrong?" Iori asked.

"We need..." Hikari shook her head, sighing. "The fever needs to be broken," she said. She looked at the two baby digimon sitting next to Miyako and Iori respectively, frowning. "How long has she been sick?"

"A week, maybe? She collapsed two days ago, which is why we got here as quickly as we could. A woman directed us this way." Iori explained. "Only, we went off course and ended up in the town.”

"Was it Wallace?" Hikari asked.

"Never got her name, but she was very lovely. Had on a witch hat," Iori frowned.

"Camille," Hikari said with a nod. "She's a good friend of ours, part of the resistance. Not one of the chosen, but likes to help us."

"Why?" Iori asked quietly.

"She’s a good person," Hikari said, voice tight. "She helps put people off our track, make sure they don’t find the farm. We intend to keep it that way. Tailmon?"

The digimon blinked, appearing in the doorway and handing Hikari the small object she held. "It will help." The digimon responded.

"Did you see Camille this morning?" Hikari asked with a frown.

"Yes, Takeru sent me before he went to milk. He's actually done and coming back up." Tailmon explained. "Fed the animals as well. I picked up some more dog food too."

Hikari smiled at her partner, looking at the small package of herbs and reading through the note that was attached. "Thank you,"

"When we showed up last night, you looked like humans. How did you manage that?" Iori asked, Tailmon's gaze flicking to him.

"My friend has the ability to cloak our forms. It's...what you humans call magic and we call a simple rearrangement of data. We can shake it off, and he's been teaching us how to perform it on our own." Tailmon explained. "I've been practicing it for years and have a better handle on it than Patamon does, though he has been practicing for the same amount of time."

"It's useful when we have people show up unexpectedly at the farm." Hikari explained. "Usually the town would send us a warning, but we didn't receive on last night. Sorry about that. If we had known, we would have been better prepared."

"Piper didn't go shooting his mouth off either," Tailmon snorted.

"Piper?" Iori asked.

"He's the giant livestock guardian dog," Hikari explained. "We are a farm after all."

"Is that....just for looks or....?" Iori frowned, glancing at her.

"Nope," she said with a smile. "We are self sustainable, we have to be."

He nodded, getting up when he smelled food. Hikari stood as well, Tailmon following the pair to the door. "I'll stay with Miyako and Poromon," Tailmon said, watching the baby digimon snuggling against his partner. Iori bent and picked up Upamon, offering Tailmon a bow, before offering Hikari a bow as well.

"Thank you for taking us in on such short notice," he said quietly.

"You're welcome," Hikari said, leaving the door open and heading into the dining room. She blinked at the spread on the table, glancing up when Takeru came in, setting the pail of milk down on the counter.

"This smells great," he said, turning to wash his hands before pouring the pail of milk into a smaller container, storing it in the fridge. "Who....cooked?"

"Eh, oh I did," Daisuke said with a wave. "I did the best that I could, but I wasn't sure what was....what exactly?" His gaze darted around the room, Takeru letting out a relieved sigh. "That's not a problem, is it?"

"It's completely fine." Takeru promised, Hikari muffling a laugh. "But, you didn't have to cook."

"I can't remember the last time I've been in a kitchen. I think I'm going to like cooking here." Daisuke said with a grin. "If...you want me to keep cooking, that is."

Takeru and Hikari glanced at each other, Hikari shrugging and taking a seat. Patamon appeared out of a door, joining Daisuke, Ken, Takeru, Iori, and the other digimon at the table. It was quiet for several minutes, everyone enjoying the food before Hikari finally spoke.

"We need to discuss the next steps that you're taking." She said, glancing up as Wizarmon came into the house, taking off his hat and placing it by the door. "Good morning Wizarmon," she added as he joined the table, Tailmon offering him her seat.

"Who cooked?" He asked cautiously after bidding everyone good morning. The three newcomers looked at each other before glancing at the digimon, frowning.

"Our guest did," Takeru reassured him. "Don't worry, dinner will be on us tonight." Wizarmon glanced up at the statement, hiding his reaction behind a carefully crafted neutral smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, turning his attention to Iori, Ken, and Daisuke. "I am glad you were able to find the farm. I went out looking for you yesterday afternoon, but you must have gone off the path that Camille mentioned to you."

"Yeah, we got a bit lost," Daisuke said, ducking his head as Iori and Ken both looked at him.

"Maybe if someone were better with directions..." Ken said softly.

"We can talk about it later." Takeru sadi with a shake of his head. "The important thing is that you're here now."

"You keep talking about options, what do you mean?" Iori asked.

"Well, usually we help the chosen and their digimon find safe places to go." Takeru said, setting down his fork and considering the options.

"We would like you to stay here until Miyako fully recovers, of course." Hikari said. "While staying here, we do ask that you help out on the farm..."

"Feeding the goats and sheep, watering animals, just small things." Takeru agreed.

"We need to do hoof trims this week." Hikari added, Wizarmon taking notes down of things that actually needed to get done. "But, we aren't really a final stopping place for the chosen. From here, we can send you to Wallace-he's a good friend of ours."

"Or, we could send you to Miss Deneuve, who can get you into the digital world and set up with a base there." Takeru said, glancing around the table.

"What if we want to fight?" Daisuke asked.

"Er, fight?" Hikari frowned at the question, her eyes narrowing in thought.

"Wallace would be your best option." Takeru said quietly.

"But...what are you doing out here?" Ken asked, Hikari lifting her head at the question. She opened her mouth, shaking her head.

"We're helping others get out." She said firmly, watching Tailmon glance at her.

"So, hiding out and occasionally helping people?" Daisuke asked, handing Chibimon food as the digimon bounced up in his laugh. "Doesn't that seem...."

"Like you're playing it safe?" Ken supplied.

"Sure," Takeru said with a shrug.

"You don't have to decide right away, your friend is still ill." Wizarmon interrupted, sensing the tension at the table. "You came in late last night. Nothing should be decided this quickly."

"So, we're going to....do nothing for the time being?" Daisuke frowned.

"It would be a good chance to recover." Iori said softly, interjecting the thoughts before they could devolve into baseless arguing, the teenager having had seen it too much during their time travelling together to want to listen to it again.

"Nope, you're not doing nothing." Takeru said with a grin. "We have a shed to reroof, a barn to muck, goats and sheep to feed. Not to mention a garden that could use some tending to."

"So we're...just stuck helping you?" Ken asked, sitting back and wrapping his arms around Minomon.

"Think of it as a work trade," Takeru said with a shake of his head. "We're not set up to take long term boarders, regardless the reason."

Ken and Daisuke shared a glance Iori finishing his meal and taking his plate to the sink. "Let me know what you need help with." He said, turning to face Hikari and Takeru. "I will do what you need me to,"

"Thank you," Hikari said with a sigh, looking down at her unfinished food. "Would you like to see the property's boundaries?"

"How big is the farm?" Iori asked.

"We own about sixty acres," Takeru said. "There's some land, the forest mostly, that we don't use, but it's great if we need to hide anything. There's a firepit in the gardens where we spend some nights...."

"How many digimon are on this farm?" Ken asked.

"Tailmon, Patamon, and Wizarmon." Hikari responded. "As for animals, we have five goats, three sheep, ten or so ducks, about twenty chickens, and two pigs."

Iori let out a low whistle, returning to his seat with Upamon. "Why the French countryside?" He asked.

"Oh, Takeru speaks French. That's about the only reason." Hikari explained. "He blends in easier with people as well."

"My grandfather helped us with the land," Takeru explained. "He set it up in his name and the like. No one bothers us out here unless it's someone from the town."

"Or people with digimon," Daisuke guessed.

"That's not a bother though." Hikari said with a shake of her head. "It's one of the reasons we set up out here. We want to help people escape." She got up as she finished her food, taking the plates to the sink and beginning to wash them. She listened to everyone else eat in silence, closing her eyes with a sigh.

****

The man stared at the ceiling of the cell, his head pillowed behind his hands. His body ached, and he could hear the annoyingly incessant beeping of the tracker on his wrist. He sat up slowly when he heard someone approach the cell door, watching as the young man unlocked it and stepped inside, closing it behind him.

"You're an idiot Yagami," the man informed him.

"Back to that?" He asked, laying back down. "Man, I would have thought you'd have been bored of it by now."

"They tracked down the last couple you helped escape." The man warned. "They're not happy."

"And what are you going to do about it Daigo?" Taichi asked, sitting up and meeting the man's gaze. "What more is there to fucking do than rot in a god damn prison cell cause I let some kids get out from under me when I couldn't fucking see?"

The man turned, a frown on his face as he studied Taichi. "Fight," he said softly.

"Right, and get in trouble for it." He snorted, shaking his head. "We're stuck Daigo, you know that. I know that, we all know that."

"Have you lost hope?" He asked.

"I don't know, I think hope escaped nearly seven years ago, don't ya think?" Taichi asked with a raised eyebrow, Daigo snorting at the joke. Taichi shook his head, dropping his smile. "What is their plan?"

"They want to send you after Wallace," Daigo said, leaning against the stone wall.

"He's the guy with a body count." Taichi said blankly. "I thought they gave up on trying-"

"They don't just give up." Daigo said with a shake of his head. "He's one of the leaders of the resistance. So, they want to try and take him down."

"They're insane if they think-" Taichi pressed his hand to his face, taking a moment to think. Daigo let him, glancing over his shoulder. "They've only ever sent humans without partners after Wallace. They think we have a better shot at getting to him because of our digimon."

"Yamato told them it was a terrible idea. Besides, they'd be sending you to somewhere in Europe." Daigo commented. "Last the network heard, he was in there, but that doesn't mean he would have moved on."

Taichi frowned, shaking his head slowly. "They're still crazy. There's very little that they can do from Japan."

"But they're going to try because they want the threat dealt with. If Wallace gets taken out and he is part of the head of the resistance, it would be a huge blow to them. Without one of their top-" Daigo began.

"The guy has two digimon of his own. He was reason for the runaway digimon virus that Koushiro had to deal with a year ago. Do they really think they can capture-" Taichi began.

"They want to kill him." Daigo interrupted, not caring that he had been interrupted in the first place.

"Oh," Taichi said, dropping his hands in his lap and slowly shaking his head. "But..."

"Oh is right," Daigo agreed. "It doesn't matter to them about whether Wallace comes or not. He's a wild card, too much of one to be of any comfort to anyone. As long as he can be out there-"

"I don't want to kill." Taichi said quietly. "I don't..."

"They don't care," Daigo said, gesturing behind him to indicate everything beyond the room. "They don't care what you think or feel as long as you perform for them. And, as far as the higher ups are concerned, you haven't been performing at all. You've been letting chosen and digimon escape left and right, hardly doing your job at all-"

"We're not a fighting forcing!" Taichi snapped, raising his chin to stare at Daigo. "We were not meant to be a fighting force. A third of my team is catatonic and don't talk unless absolutely necessary. Do you think-"

"I don't think," Daigo snapped back. "This attitude is dangerous for you Taichi."

"You were supposed to be a teacher we could have trusted. You-" Taichi shook his head, throwing himself back on the bed, staring at the wall.

"I what?" He demanded.

Taichi didn't respond, keeping his gaze locked on the ceiling. He counted the seconds in his head, getting to nearly six hundred before Daigo sighed, breaking the silence.

"This wasn't supposed to be how it ended up. No one wanted this-" He began.

"If no one wanted it, we wouldn't be tracked, we would be free, living our lives as young adults. Having sex, getting married, enjoying life, I don't know. There would be something more than this Daigo and you know it. Digimon aren't meant to be kept chained. People aren't meant to be chained either. You can tell the group to take their assignment and shove it." Taichi was standing on his feet again, his eyes narrowed as he took a step towards Daigo.

He froze as he felt a wave of electricity run up from the brand around his ankle, stumbling to his knees and grunting as pain flared throughout his body.

"You're right, it shouldn't be this way, but it is, unfortunately." Daigo said softly, dropping down to one knee and looking Taichi in the eye. "They'll get it out of you, one way or another. They'll beat the insolence out of you. But, eventually, they're going to break you just like they did the others. And then what are you going to do?"

"There won't be-" He began, grunting as more pain wracked his body. He felt Daigo touch his shoulder, the man pulling back with a grimace. "Fine, whatever. We go to France and kill a guy. Like I care anymore." He whispered, feeling defeated. He closed his eyes, hearing Daigo step out of the cell, the door swinging shut.

"I'll have a medic come in and make sure you're fit. You leave in the morning." He said, his footsteps fading away. Taichi let out a small grunt of frustration, slamming his fist into the side of the wall. His shoulders were shaking, tears forming in his eyes. It hadn't meant to be this way, but it had ended up this way after all.

****

_The girl pulled the hood down lower as she slunk through the back streets, glancing up when she heard someone laugh. She turned towards the sound of the voice, a frown crossing her features as someone wolf whistled at her._

_"Watcha doing pretty thing?" The man asked, the girl rolling her eyes and beginning to walk on. She felt one of them reach out as she passed, touching her shoulder._

_"Hey, I'm talking to you," he snapped, grabbing the shoulder of her jacket. She turned, eyes burning fiercely as he dropped the fabric, taking a step back with his hands held out._

_"Give me your money," she suggested, taking a step towards him. "Otherwise you're just wasting my time."_

_"I-" He swallowed, the girl feeling her hood slip down. She shook out her white and purple hair, baring her teeth. The three men quickly pulled out their wallets, the girl taking the paper money and shoving it in her pockets before scampering off, pulling her hood back up once more._

_She returned to the shelter she had left the others in, ducking under the small underhang and carefully scooting in._

_"You're back quick," the blonde haired boy said, the girl narrowing her eyes before pulling the money she had acquired out of her pocket, along with five tickets._

_"The train leaves at six in the morning." She said, shaking the guise of the human form and returning to her digimon form. "It'll get us to France."_

_"And the passports?" The other girl asked, reaching out towards her digimon partner. Tailmon crept closer to Hikari, pressing against her._

_"They should be good until we meet up with my grandfather..." Takeru said, uncertainty in her voice._

_"It's a fifteen hour ride with three changes. It was the cheapest option but...I got us five tickets,"_

_"Thank you Tailmon," Hikari murmured._

_"The disguises will hold that long," Wizarmon said, glancing up from where he was sitting. "We haven't gotten a message from your grandfather in some time. Are we certain that he is still a reasonable source?"_

_"I guess we'll figure out it out once we get to Paris, huh?" Takeru said with a frown, glancing behind him as he heard the sound of three sets of footsteps._

_"Great, the idiots followed me," Tailmon hissed, eyes flashing._

_"Idiots?" Hikari asked with a frown. "Did something happen while you were out?"_

_"I ran into someone trying to hit on me. I thought I convinced them to leave me alone... I guess not, it smells like them," she said. Patamon glanced up from where he had been sitting, still wearing the human disguise. He got up, poking his head out and watching them come this way._

_"Do we want to scare them off?" He asked, taking a step back. Takeru and Hikari shared a glance, the thirteen year olds slowly standing up._

_"if they didn't see Tailmon come in here, we should be fine." Hikari said, their muted conversation being held in Japanese. They heard the gutteral sounds of the Germans, Tailmon standing up and letting Wizarmon apply the disguise once more. She ran a hand through her hair, grimacing._

_"Better safe than sorry," their friend murmured. Tailmon hunched down next to Hikari, curling her hand into a fist. She listened to the three German men approach, closing her eyes and tipping her head back._

_"It looks like a bunch of kids," the first man commented, Tailmon getting a good glimpse at one of the men that had stopped her peering into the alcove._

_"Ya running from something?" A second man, Takeru's gaze flicking to them with a frown before he shook his head._

_"Sorry, my companions don't speak German. What do you want?" Tailmon asked, gaze flicking up to them._

_"What are you doing out here?" The man asked, switching to English._

_"Passing the time," Takeru responded, the man giving him a side eye._

_"There's a curfew in effect," the third man commented, Tailmon's gaze sliding to him. She felt a shiver run through her when he settled unnaturally red eyes on her. "Children under the age of sixteen are to not be on the streets after eight pm."_

_"Doesn't help when you're homeless," Takeru responded, meeting the man's gaze. "Besides, we ain't on the streets, we're technically under an overhang, to the side of a sidewalk."_

_"These protections were put in place to protect us from the dangers of digimon, don't you know?" The man asked, his gaze sliding over the group. "But you seem fully assured of yourselves, don't you?"_

_"We're just passing through," Tailmon said with a small shrug. "Waiting for the train in the morning."_

_"And where are you from?" The first man asked._

_"France," Takeru said, sitting back. The man scoffed, rolling his eyes and taking the group in._

_"You don't look French," he said. "Okay, you look French." He said, pointing at Takeru. "The others of you don't."_

_"Hikari," Tailmon hissed, the girl sighing._

_"No," she said with a shake of her head, the men glancing at her._

_"Look, we'll be moving along in a couple of hours to go to the train. Can't you leave us alone?" Takeru asked, mustering as much of a French accent as he could. "We got caught up in the recent raids, you know how France has been, ensuring none of the plague has infected them. Moving people in and out. We live with my grand-père, promised we would meet back up with him."_

_"Just leave the kids alone," the red eyed man suggested. "They don't have anything we want. Heard the Japanese government was looking for a couple of runaways. Some of the original monsters got out. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that?"_

_"No," Takeru said with a shake of his head. The man glanced at them, turning on his heel and waving for the other two follow._

_"They're just kids, leave 'em alone. Besides, even if they had digimon, there would be no point in helping them. We wouldn't get the reward, not valid in Germany." He laughed, Tailmon reaching out and catching Hikari as she slumped against the wall._

_"Grandfather will help us." Takeru said quietly, shoving the anxious feeling eating away at him. Tailmon nodded, hair falling in her face as Patamon moved closer, pressing against her. Wizarmon kept a lookout as the four others attempted to sleep, watching for dawn._

****

Takeru set the bale of hay down, glancing backwards as Daisuke waved his arms, running over.

"Hey, is there anything I can do to help?" He asked, looking at Takeru with a hopeful expression.

"I thought you and pretty boy were too good for work," Takeru grumbled under his breath, picking up the small square bale once more. "Grab the hose, you can fill buckets." He trudged through the barn, setting the bale down and pulling out a knife. He cut the baling twine, beginning to place flakes of hay in the feeders. One side of the barn had the four female goats, the other side holding the two ewes.

"Don't you keep the males in with them?" Daisuke asked, turning the hose on and beginning to fill the five gallon buckets on the other side of the wooden fence.

"Nope, unless we're trying to breed them." Takeru said with a shake of his head. "We don't want accidental babies. The black and white alpine is Bos, the tan colored alpine is Sylia, the smaller dwarf nigerian that's brown with black and white spots is Calliope, and the mostly white with the tan spotting is Muse."

"And the sheep?" Daisuke asked, kinking the hose and carrying it over to the other buckets to be filled.

"Spot and Dot." He said. "Spot has the black spots on her flank, Dot has the black spot around her eye."

"So, which ones are you gonna kill for slaughter?" Daisuke asked, glancing over at him.

"None, usually we have lambs for slaughter, but neither of the sheep have given birth yet. There's the two pigs in the back pen... What are you doing?" He asked, watching Daisuke attempt to climb over the fence.

"I wanna pet them," he said, sheepishly climbing down as Takeru pointed out the door to get into the sheep and goat pens on each side.

"Have you ever been around animals?" He asked.

"Does Chibimon count?" Daisuke asked, Takeru's gaze flashing up to a small plate on the wall. he watched the colors flash in a specific order, throwing the rest of the hay into the feeders and taking the hose from Daisuke, turning off the water and rolling it up.

"Maybe," he said, listening to Piper barking from the front paddock. "Get back to the house." He added, Daisuke's smile falling.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Someone's coming up the driveway. Please, go to the house." Takeru said, already walking towards the house and the driveway beyond. Daisuke hesitated, running to catch up.

"How do you know?" He asked.

"The plate was flashing red," he explained.

"Plate?" Daisuke frowned, keeping pace with Takeru. The man trudged through a puddle Daisuke jumping to the side of it and grimacing when he was splashed.

"We have plates in all of the main areas that we can be at in any given minute. It's a warning system. Red means humans." Takeru explained, stopping by the house and pointing at the plate just inside the doorway. He frowned when he saw it flash blue, red, blue before stopping.

"Please just-" he began, Daisuke already shoving past him. Takeru silently smacked himself in the face, recalling his brief encounter with Takeru when they were in school together. He walked down to the driveway, watching the car pull up carefully, Hikari already there with a bucket of eggs in her hand. The car stopped, a young blonde woman stepping out with a Floramon tentatively following.

"Well met Mdm Deneuve," Takeru said, switching to French as he smiled at the woman. "What brings you to our farm today?"

"Camille sent me to see if the four she sent your way had shown up. She was concerned that they may have gotten lost in the storm last night," she explained.

"Normally you don't make trips yourself. Did....something happen?" He asked, feeling Daisuke hovering over his shoulder. He counted to ten in his head, taking a step back and treading harshly on Daisuke's foot.

"Hey! What was that for?" The man demanded, shoving Takeru off.

"You're hovering over my shoulder, stop it." Takeru snapped. "Didn't I tell you to get in the house anyway?"

"Yeah, but I was curious." Daisuke grumbled, Hikari walking over with a sigh.

"As you can see, we did receive them." She said with a nod. "Is Camille well?"

"She is worried but well. Your grandfather also has a letter for you," Catherine said, turning her attention back to Takeru. Daisuke frowned as he tried to follow the conversation, sitting back to watch despite not understanding what was being said beyond a few words he had picked up in the past month of being in France. "And I hope they're not much of a bother, they caused Camille quite a bit of trouble, especially the one with the Chibimon. He has quite a loud mouth." She said this with her gaze directed solely at Hikari, a smile on her face as she handed Takeru the note.

"We've noticed," Takeru said flatly, glancing down at the letter. "Hopefully they'll be Wallace's issue soon enough."

Daisuke perked up at the use of Wallace's name, stepping up.

"He's the guy that fights back, right?" He asked in English.

"I suppose you could consider that him?" Catherine said with a frown. "We did not meet while you were at my aunt's. I'm Catherine Deneuve, and this is my partner, Floramon. Welcome to France, I hope you enjoy your stay."

"It's been anything but fun," Ken said, stepping out of the house. Takeru closed his eyes as he considered the options of getting both of them back in the house, giving Hikari a glance. They had helped many chosen in the past three years since setting the farm up as a strong hold, but none of them had been as stubborn as it was looking like Daisuke and Ken would turn out to be.

"No, being on the run is never fun." Catherine said, shaking her head. Daisuke's eyes grew wide as he saw the scar running along her neck, opening his mouth to ask. Takeru intercepted him, stepping on his foot once more. "But, I wish you the best of luck upon your journey. There is a wonderful base that many of us have set up in the digital world."

"We don't plan on going there." Ken said with a shake of his head.

"Oh?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "What are your plans, if I may ask?"

"The less people that know, the better it will be for us in the long run, sorry." Ken commented, Takeru shaking his head.

"Whatever your plans involve, it can't be formed here. We're going to send you along, even if you decide to stay in the human world." Takeru warned.

"We're going to go after the others." Daisuke said with a snort. "I guess it wouldn't matter to you, but they're being hurt by the military 'services' they perform. Don't you care that-"

"Don't ever," Hikari growled, stepping forward and shoving her knife at Daisuke's throat, "insinuate that we do not care Motomiya or you may not like the outcome."

Takeru stepped forward, grabbing Hikari by the shoulder and forcing her to take a step back, claiming the pocket knife with a small laugh.

"Yeah, tell us we don't care," he grumbled, Catherine watching the exchange unfold. Daisuke took a step back when Hikari pulled the weapon, the woman still holding the bucket of eggs by her hip. His gaze darted from Takeru to Hikari, gaze narrowed.

"What's your deal?" Daisuke demanded. "It may be all great that you're cozy with your digimon in the human world, hiding, while others like usare hurt and used as fucking weapons! And you want us to run and hide in the digital world?"

"I think everyone needs to take a step back and evaluate their attitudes regarding the situation." Takeru said.

"Give me back my knife." Hikari demanded.

"No," Takeru responded. "Do you want me to clean the eggs while you...do something else? Maybe go check on Sylia?"

"Weren't you just up there feeding them?" Hikari demanded, taking a step closer to Takeru. Takeru shoved his hands in his pockets, tightening his grip on Hikari's knife with a shake of his head.

"Yes, doesn't mean you don't need to calm down Hikari." Takeru said softly.

Catherine cleared her throat, drawing the attention of the four chosen. "If you need anything, you know exactly where to find me. I can reach out to Wallace, if you would like me too." She added.

"We'll let you know in a couple of days," Takeru responded. "Miyako is still sick. I'm not sure how the group divides between the four of them, but if they've been traveling together, I feel as if they'll want to stick together."

"There's another piece of news," Catherine said, beckoning Takeru closer and dipping her head. "They're sending the main faction after Wallace with an order to kill him if possible."

"All of them?" Takeru asked, feeling his grip tighten on Hikari's knife.

"At least the six in question." She said. "I just received the word from Baihu. It was sent coded two hours ago, my original notion for this trip in fact. Actually, may I get some duck eggs while I am here?"

"Of course," Takeru said, stepping towards the small farm store. He heard Daisuke grumbling to Ken, Hikari having given Takeru the eggs. "A dozen?"

"Yes please," she said, watching as Takeru began to wash off a dozen of the eggs, putting them in a box and handing them to her. "The coded message resides along with your grandfather's note."

"Did you tell them about our connection to...?" He trailed off, Catherine shaking her head. "Thank you," he murmured.

"Of course," she smiled, pulling the money out for the eggs and quickly kissing him on the cheek. "They can be a bit rough around the edges, from what Camille mentioned. Don't let them get to you too much dear."

"Of course not," Takeru said with a shake of his head, watching Catherine return to her car, Floramon following along quietly. He turned his attention to the eggs in the sink, carefully wiping each one down and setting it to the side to dry. Upon cleaning all of the shells, he heard the door open, looking up briefly to see Ken standing in the doorway. He picked up a towel, beginning to finish the drying process and set each egg down in a carton of twelve, making sure the duck and chicken eggs were separated before jotting down the best by date.

"Can...I help you?" Takeru asked, glancing up as he saw Ken was still standing there. He walked over, taking a towel and beginning to help Takeru with the task at hand.

"How can you stand being out here, when you know that others are in danger?" Ken asked, voice strained. "You and Hikari...Daisuke told me that you and he were in school together, briefly."

"Yeah," Takeru said with a small nod. He took the dried eggs from Ken, sorting them with a frown. "I guess...we're out here because it's what we're comfortable doing."

"There are others that are being used to kill." Ken commented, voice cold. "And yet...."

"And yet we are doing the best that we can, helping those that we can." Takeru said, tipping his head to the side. "If you're so insistent, why did you run from Japan? You could have tried to stay and help the others."

"We were not given a choice." Ken said bitterly, jumping when he crushed the egg in his hand.

"Throw it in the sink," Takeru suggested, watching the man wash off his hands before he dried the next egg. "France has turned a blind eye to the....growing....digimon infestation, as some places have taken to calling it. They're neutral. While, if they are outright forced to move their hand, they send anyone with a digimon to one of the main two power players, Japan or America, they won't attack us directly."

"When you were talking to her in French, what were you talking about?" Ken asked.

"Wallace," Takeru said with a shrug. "I understand that you're not happy being here, but there is only so much we can afford to tell you. And there is only so much we can afford to have." He finished packaging the eggs, placing them in the large fridge next to the sink. "Feel free to take as many chicken or duck eggs as you would like." He added.

"Why don't you do anything?" Ken asked.

Takeru tipped his head back, watching him before shrugging. "I was eight when I first went ot the digital world. Eleven...? Yeah, eleven when the laws were put into place. I ran from Japan when I was...thirteen? I've been on this farm since I was fifteen. There are no rules for a life like that. I am trying to prevent kids from wandering the streets, with no where to go, until they're caught. It doesn't matter what any one of us does. As long as I can help others, I'm okay with what I'm doing."

"And those in bondage?" Ken asked.

Takeru tightened his grip on the door frame, his shoulders tensing. "I'm going to check on Hikari." He paused when he heard Piper barking, heading towards the front paddock and letting out a whistle. He saw patamon sitting on the fence, the boy leaning over and giggling.

"What are you doing?" Takeru asked, the child jumping and reverting to digimon form. He slid his gaze into the paddock, checking that both the buck and ram were inside, frowning as he saw Piper chasing-

"Damn it," he sighed, jumping into the paddock and walking towards the snarling dog. He saw the blue digimon race between his legs, scrambling over the fence. Takeru frowned as Piper lunged towards him, the man stepping to the side and grabbing the dog by the collar, yanking him back.

Piper let out a low whimper, Takeru setting his sights on Patamon and Chibimon. "You know to stay out of the paddock with the big, mean dog." He told Patamon, his gaze sliding to Chibimon. "He will kill small animals if you let him. Please stay out of the paddock with the big, mean dog."

"Chibimon!" Takeru glanced up when he heard Daisuke call, the digimon hopping off the fence and running over to his partner. "What sort of trouble are you getting into?" Daisuke demanded.

"I was playing with the dog." The digimon cried, Takeru letting go of Piper's collar.

"I wonder if you can actually eat...." Takeru trailed off, Piper looking up at him before slinking off. He grimaced, pressing his hand to his face and immediately regretting the decision when he got the whiff of wet dog. He pulled it away, shaking his head and walking over to the fence, climbing up and over it. "Please keep Chibimon out of the paddock. Piper likes to eat small animals."

"Got...it." Daisuke said, glancing from Takeru to the dog. "But you..."

"Jumped in and pulled him to a stop?" Takeru guessed, shaking his head. "Yeah, I don't recommend doing that either. He's liable to bite you. He's bitten people before."

"Why have him?" Ken asked, appearing at Daisuke's shoulder, a Wormmon sitting on his shoulder. "If he bites people?"

"We have him because he bites people." Takeru explained, leaning against the fence. "He scares off wild animals as well. Which means less animals going after our livestock, because he's a livestock guardian dog, specifically a great pyrenees. Oh, and stay out of the pig pen too." He added to the digimon.

"Good....to know." Ken said, Daisuke peering into the pen. He jumped when Piper barked at him, Takeru shaking his head.

"If you want to help with morning chores, we'll introduce you to Piper and make sure he understands that you're a friend." Takeru explained, feeling Patamon rest on his head. "And you know better than to taunt other digimon into Piper's pen." He added, taking the digimon off his head.

"Sorry," Patamon said, his wing-ears drooping.

"It's not a problem," Chibimon said with a grin. "I wanna play with the dog some more!"

"No," Daisuke said with a sigh, his gaze darting between Ken and Takeru. The three teeangers and their digimon retreated to the house, Takeru seeing Iori and Upamon sitting at the table, looking over a map curiously. Daisuke walked over to them, resting a hand on te table.

"Hello Daisuke," Iori said, glancing up.

"What do we do for lunch around here?" Daisuke asked.

"You're welcome to see what's in the fridge. I'm going to be in the garden....did any of you get a full farm tour?" Takeru asked, Patamon sitting back on his head once Takeru let go of him.

"Wizarmon showed us around after breakfast." Ken explained, voice chilly. Takeru glanced at him, grabbing several bowls to collect food in.

"If you want another one, let someone know." He said, walking out of the door.

Daisuke collapsed into a chair, glancing from Ken to Iori. "So, we gonna discuss what the plan is or....?"

"We wait for Miyako to get better." Iori responded. "And then figure out how to get back to Japan."

"I agree," Ken said with a nod. "If we can help those escape...."

"You saw how they all freaked out over the idea." Daisuke said, putting a hand to this throat and rubbing it where Hikari's blade had been.

"I'm looking at the quickest route back," Iori explained, looking up from his map.

"What about the Wallace guy?" Daisuke asked.

"Dangerous, has two digimon. Often mentioned as the one willing to kill," Ken frowned, resting his hand on the table. "Perhaps we should meet up with him. He may be the best bet."

"We have a bit of time, at least while Miyako recovers, to figure out what we're going to do." Iori said softly. "In the meantime, perhaps we can find out more information from the others?"

"Hikari flipped when I said they didn't care." Daisuke said, quickly going through everything they had said. Iori frowned as he spoke, glancing towards Daisuke.

"You went to school with them, didn't you?" Iori asked.

"Yeah, briefly." Daisuke said with a nod.

"Do you remember their last names?" He asked. Daisuke frowned as he considered the question, slowly shaking his head.

"I think Takeru's started with a t?" Daisuke scratched the back of his head, offering them an apologetic grin. "Wish I could be of more help."

"It's fine," Ken said with a shake of his head. "Maybe we'll learn more while we're here about them." The three nodded, falling silent as Hikari walked into the house. She glanced at them, Tailmon following in behind her before the pair disappeared into the bathroom.

****

Taichi rubbed his neck, standing in the meeting room and looking boredly at the wall. He stood up straight when the door opened, watching the five young adults walk into the room. He glanced away as Sora and Mimi silently sat in two chairs, Yamato leaning against the wall. Koushiro and Jou exchanged glances, taking two seats themselves.

Taichi waved at them, catching their attention and began to sign, his gaze darting around the room and finding no cameras.

 _We're going to France._ "Good evening, nice to see you here." He spoke, watching Yamato's gaze narrowed.

 _Why France?_ "Good to see you still in....one piece." Yamato responded.

 _Do we have to?_ Mimi looked up, her signs barely visible before she dropped her gaze.

 _They want to send us after Wallace._ "Yeah, sitting in a cell and being tortured for a couple of days really puts the perspective about what happened, huh?" Taichi asked with a small laugh.

 _Just Wallace?_ "Perhaps if we did our jobs, you wouldn't be in so much trouble." Yamato snapped.

 _As far as I've been told._ "It's a team effort, isn't it Ishida?" Taichi asked coldly.

 _Must you two argue?_ Sora tipped her head ever so slightly, Jou shaking his own in response to the question.

 _Play the game._ "It really doesn't do any of us good if you keep jumping down each other's throats like that." Jou tapped a finger against the table, Taichi tapping his neck.

 _Can we trust....?_ "Maybe if he did his job, I wouldn't be so critical of his work." Yamato commented, crossing his arms over his chest.

 _Probably not, but no information about them has been..._ Taichi snorted. "I do my job, that's all we can do is the job we're given. What makes you think it's my fault anyway? Maybe it was yours."

 _They've been assumed fled into the digital world._ "Please, you're going to upset everyone if you don't stop." Koushiro said, rubbing his temples and sighing. "What were we called here for anyway?"

 _Can we keep it that way?_ "We got our next mission assignment," Taichi said, dropping his hands and shoving them into his pockets. "We're going after the guy that likes to kill things."

"They wouldn't be willing to risk sending us there, would they?" Jou asked, true hesitation in his voice. "Everyone else they sent...."

"Gets returned in a coffin, I know." Taichi snorted. "They think we have a better chance because we have digimon. Honestly don't know how that's going to shape up. I guess we'll see."

"When we we leave?" Yamato demanded, pushing himself away from the wall and walking over to Sora and Mimi. Both girls looked up at him, dropping their gazes quickly.

"Tomorrow morning," Taichi said. _We'll see our partners then too._

Everyone looked up at that last sign, Koushiro nodding ever so slightly. He stood up from the table, glancing around. "Is it early in the morning?" He asked.

"More like two in the morning. Closer to night than morning if you ask me. But they want to get us out as fast as possible. They'll drop us in France." Taichi explained.

 _A chance?_ "I hate waking up that early for missions." Jou groased.

 _We'll be with a group of soldiers but..._ "No one likes being bundled onto a private jet at two in the morning." Taichi scoffed.

 _We have the tracking devices embedded._ "Least of all you." Koushiro retorted, walking over to Taichi and tapping his shoulder. "Make sure to actually be up in time."

"I'd hate to be late because our so called leader was stil asleep." Yamato scoffed. _Have you figured out a way to stop?_

 _No._ Taichi shoved Koushiro's hand off of him, rolling his eyes.

"I will not sleep through the alarms." He muttered, crossing hsi arms once more. "Besides, since being here, I've learned to appreciate early mornings."

"Meaning you don't sleep if they catch you sleeping in." Yamato snorted.

 _A missive has been sent._ "Something like that," Taichi said, scratching at a scar on his shoulder as Koushiro backtracked to his seat, sitting down. "We have the rest of today and tonight to prepare, leave in the morning.

The six young adults looked at each other, Mimi standing up and nodding before leaving the room. Sora opened her mouth as if to say something before shaking her head sadly and leaving as well. The four others hesitated, Taichi shrugging, and heading to the door. He felt Yamato touch his shoulder, turning to look at the man, realizing just how close to him he was as Yamato pressed his lips almost to Taichi's ear.

"They'll be safe," he breathed before he kissed Taichi on the cheek, stepping back and exiting the room. Taichi's hand rested on the dog tags around his neck, the symbol of courage engraved on the back in mock honor.

****

_Hikari sat on the train, her head resting against the glass as several passengers walked past the door to their compartment. She glanced up when the door slid open, Takeru stepping in with the digimon in human forms. He shut the door, Wizarmon shuffling over so they could sit._

_"How are you feeling?" The teenager asked, sitting across from Hikari._

_"Like crap," she mumbled, glancing out the window. "Why..."_

_"It would have been unlikely to get the others out." Wizarmon spoke softly, glancing up from the book he was content in reading. "You know that they were guarded more heavily."_

_"But we just left them behind." Hikari whispered, Tailmon sitting next to her partner and resting a hand on Hikari's shoulder._

_"We'll rescue them," the digimon whispered softly._

_"Yeah," Patamon agreed, his gaze flicking to the door in worry. "It's not going to be...." He trailed off, unsure of what he should say in this situation._

_"Something will happen, people will realize what's going on. It'll end up being taken care of." Takeru said with a nod. "But, as long as we are together, we're going to be able to come up with a plan to save them. Grandpa is even offering to help."_

_They kept their conversation in English, neither trusting anyone else on the train to not notice two young Japanese children traveling by almost themselves. Wizarmon made the best looking adult out of all of them, Tailmon able to pass as an older sibling to the two._

_"What if we get caught?" Hikari whispered, looking up at Takeru. "What if-" she began._

_"It could happen tomorrow." Takeru agreed, before she could continue. "We could be caught and drug back to Japan. From the email I got last I was able to check, grandpa said that the French government was remaining neutral on the subject. For now, it is our best bet. He'll meet us at the train station in Paris. Even if we have to keep hiding, it doesn't mean that we are giving up."_

_"I hate this," Hikari mumbled, hiding her face._

_"I know," Tailmon said softly. "There is no rhyme or reason towards this having had happened, but we have to accept that it did. For what it is worth, I believe that this is the right choice. Even if we were not able to save everyone, we were able to save you and Takeru. That is a major step forward already."_

_"But it's just us, we're young. We can't...." Hikari shook her head, letting out a sigh. "I'm being a downer, I'm sorry. Just, everything is so much, you know?"_

_"I understand," Takeru said quietly. "It was like that when we first went to the digital world. Everything seemed like it was almost too much. We had to figure everything out. Worst of all, we were alone without any adults. But, we were able to overcome it because we were able to stick together. As long as we stick together Hikari, we will be able to save the others." Takeru promised._

_"I'm afraid," Hikari whispered. "I don't want to go back." She looked down at the scars on her arms from the fighting that she and Takeru had been put through before they were able to escape. Takeru reached over, taking her hands in his, his gaze lingering down to the number that had been branded into her skin, the number "8" making his stomach turn, though he knew he had a similar number "7" on his own wrist._

_"Neither of us will go back and we will rescue the others." He promised softly, holding tightly onto her hands. "This is not the end, this is just us heading to a better spot in order to be able to rescue them."_

_"You promise?" Hikari said, looking up at him._

_"I promise, we will save them." Takeru said, pulling her into a hug. "No matter what, we will save them."_

****

Hikari put the spoon down as she looked at what she had made for dinner, pulling it off the stove when she figured the soup was done enough. Despite Takeru's grandfather's best efforts, neither she nor Takeru knew how to cook particularly well. Neither of them complained, both adapting to a more vegetable based diet when they didn't have either lamb or pork on hand.

The garden had been the first thing they had set up, and slowly they had built the rest of the farm around that.

She finished setting the table as Takeru, Daisuke, and Ken walked in, the other two sharing a glance before Daisuke wandered over to see what Hikari had cooked, Takeru pouring the milk into a container and storing it in the fridge.

"How's Miyako fairing?" He asked.

"Still unconscious, Iori is in with her now. We were able to feed her some broth earlier." Hikari explained, setting the salad on the table as well. "I hope you enjoy," she added, Daisuke nodding.

"So..." He said, when they were sitting with their own soup bowls. "We went to school together, didn't we?" He asked Hikari and Takeru, the pair sharing a glance.

"Yes, when we were eleven," Takeru said with a nod.

"Where did you two disappear too anyway?" Daisuke asked.

"We decided we'd have a bit of fun and go be exchange students in America," Hikari said happily, beginning to eat her food. "Great place there, you know? A lot of people focus so much on fighting and guns, it's absolutely mind boggling."

"Oh..." Daisuke trailed off when he picked up on the sarcasm, glancing at the food. "Can I take over cooking?"

"Are you saying it's bad Motomiya?" Hikari asked, looking up at him.

"It's just...I mean, I've had worse?" He offered. "But...."

"We know neither of us can actually cook. If you want to take over, be our guest." Takeru said with a shake of his head, listening to the digimon pile into the house, Tailmon shaking out her fur.

"I hate rain," the digimon complained, taking a chair next to Hikari and taking the bowl that was handed to her. Patamon settled next to Takeru, Chibimon bouncing up to Daisuke's lap.

"You're soaked," he told Chibimon, the digimon laughing as he rubbed his face against Daisuke's shirt.

"I fell in a bucket," the digimon responded.

"Please keep your digimon out of the barn," Takeru said, finishing his soup and setting it in the sink. He headed towards the door, frowning when he saw the plate flash, a knock at the door.

"I thought this was an out of the way farm with hardly any visitors?" Iori asked softly, Hikari shaking her head as Takeru peered through the glass on the door, opening it.

"Grandpa?" He asked, the man offering him a grin.

"Did Ms Deneuve not deliver you my letter?" The man asked in Japanese.

"She did, I've been busy, haven't gotten a chance to read it. Come in," he said, gesturing for the man to walk in. He did, taking off his helmet and glancing at the other kids with a nod. "What...can we do for you?" Takeru asked.

"They sent me your mother's ashes, I was wondering what you wanted to do with them." Michel said, pulling out an urn from his bag. "Honestly, you should read your correspondence when such a lovely lady brings them."

"Oh...." Takeru shifted uncomfortably, Michel frowning.

"It could be worse," he offered.

"Yeah, I guess. Any word on Hikari's...?" He trailed off, glancing over at the two newcomers who were watching the the exchange in silence.

"Ran, last I heard. Of course....why don't we talk in private?" Michel suggested, Ken and Daisuke quickly returning to their food in attempts to look as if they had not been eavesdropping. Takeru nodded, leading his grandfather into their study, shutting the door and leaning against it.

"What about dad?" He asked, reaching up to touch the pendent around his throat, his hand grasping it subconsciously.

"Still working for the media. Your mother was..." Michel hesitated, glancing up when Patamon opened the door and slipped in. Takeru reached out to his digimon, clutching him to his chest. "Well, she was trying to undermine the government, you know how these things go."

"So they killed her." Takeru grumbled bitterly, pulling the folded over letter from his pocket. He opened it, reading through the shorthand quickly.

'Mother dead, coming by for dinner. Ashes with me. Father status alive.' He dropped it onto the desk, seeing the letter that Catherine had also mention come from the envelope. He picked it up, glancing down at the words and deciphering the code just as quickly.

'On way, six of them coming. Won't lead them to you, expect a fight. Need direction. Be at farm tomorrow morning. Then playing chase.'

He frowned, glancing up at his grandfather. "It's nearly the seven year mark," he said softly.

"Has it been discussed what you two will do?" The man asked with a frown. Takeru slowly shook his head, sighing.

"We could act, but if it goes south, that means that our railroad system is debunk and a lot more kids end up fighting." Takeru grumbled. "Or dead,"

"Could you bring anyone in to fill the position?" Michel asked.

"I wouldn't feel comfortable. We're in a dangerous spot. At least in the digital world, they're safe. The military can't get in without an access point and they don't trust sending in the factions in case they defect. It's the best solution we have. But it's hundreds of teenagers that are in the digital world, with no connection to the human world beside what we are able to send the message wise." Takeru shook his head. "I feel like this is a mistake."

"Compared to what?" Michel asked, watching Takeru let go of the pendent around his neck, rubbing his wrist as he thought.

"If we had stayed....at least I would know how the others are." takeru whispered.

"And you would have been forced to fight, and do things that you would not want to. That's no way to live." He said with a shake of his head.

"Tell that to the people we left behind." Takeru frowned as Michel passed him the Urn, glancing down at it.

"She would have liked to see your garden." He said softly.

"I'll...spread her ashes there." Takeru said, setting the urn down on the desk next to the letter. He picked up the coded message from Wallace, shoving it back in his pocket.

"What do these new kids know?" Michel asked.

"They want to fight." Takeru responded.

"Are you going to introduce them to Wallace?"

"Wallace is coming here, but then he's going to be playing a game of cat and mouse with the faction they send after him." Takeru frowned, shaking his head. "Besides, their friend is sick, they won't be going anywhere until she's better, I have a feeling."

"I've done all I can here." Michel said, heading towards the door. "But if you need anything, let me know."

"Thank you," Takeru said, leaning against the desk and looking down at Patamon in his arms, the digimon looking back up at him.

"It's going to be okay Takeru." He said, pressing against his chest. "We'll be reunited with them soon."

"Yeah, hopefully in a better future." Takeru said with a smile, holding his digimon close to his chest before following his grandfather out. Hikari looked at him in concern, Iori having joined the table. Ken and Daisuke both looked awkward, Chibimon chattering away on Daisuke's lap as he asked several questions in a row, not giving his partner time to respond to any of them.

"Wallace will be coming by in the morning," Takeru said, stepping next to Hikari. He rolled up his sleeves, beginning to work on the dishes in the sink.

"So what's Wallace like?" Daisuke asked, putting a hand over chibimon's mouth to get him to stop asking questions.

"He's a very nice guy." Hikari said with a smile, leaning against the counter and fiddling with the top of her fingerless gloves. "Would anyone be interested in learning how to milk a goat in the morning?"

"Sure!" Daisuke said with a grin, Ken rolling his eyes.

"I'll do morning feed then," Takeru said, Ken clearing his throat.

"If you don't mind, I would like to help." He said, his gaze darting between Hikari and Takeru. "As you mentioned earlier, we are staying here, we may as well help while Miyako recovers."

"Of course," Takeru said with a nod.

"So, whatcha gonna do with the ashes?" Daisuke asked, letting out a grunt when Ken smacked him.

"Don't you know how to not be rude?" He asked with a roll of his eyes.

"Spread them over the garden," Takeru responded. "I'll do it in the morning."

"Takeru..." Hikari reached out, briefly touching his shoulder. He glanced at her, shaking his head quickly and dropping his gaze back to the dishes in the sink.

"How is Miyako?" He asked.

"She seems better. The fever broke a little bit ago, right after your grandfather came. She's resting now." Hikari said, beginning to dry the dishes as Takeru finished washing them. "She won't be well for a while yet though."

"Of course," Takeru said with a nod, finishing up the dishes as they were brought to him, Daisuke and Ken sharing a glance before disappearing into their shared room.

****

Daisuke leaned against the door, watching as Ken walked over to their meager belongings.

"They're hiding something," the young man said, turning to look Daisuke in the face.

"Of course they're hiding something." Daisuke said with a roll of his eyes. "It was humid today and I don't think I saw Takeru take off his flannel once. Same with Hikari. Whatever they're hiding..."

"Seven years ago, it was said that the military lost two of their weapons," Ken said, changing out of his clothes and into the borrowed pajamas. He sat down, Wormmon settling on his lap. He leaned back, letting himself fall into the mattress.

"I highly doubt that they could be considered weapons." Daisuke said with a small laugh. "They're paranoid, not fighters."

"It's still a thought. And they know Wallace," Ken pointed out.

"They're part of whatever chain we've been going along since we left though." Daisuke frowned, shaking his head. "I don't think that they're really military hardened kids."

"You saw what the six we faced were like." Ken mused.

"Yeah, but they let us escape." Daisuke frowned. "If they were really under the military's full control, they wouldn't have let us escape."

"I suppose you're right," Ken frowned, sitting up and turning his attention to the door. "But, until Miyako is better, it wouldn't be wise to...plan anything."

"How long do you think that'll take?" Daisuke asked.

"She's been sick for weeks now. Probably just as long." Ken shook his head. "No matter what happens though, I want to go back."

"Of course," Daisuke said with a nod. "No reason to let them rot the way they are. Even if these two don't want to do anything about it, others may as well want to. Wallace has a body count, they admitted as much."

Ken frowned, laying back down and closing his eyes. "Sometimes, I want to think that this is all a dream." He murmured.

"Why a dream?" Daisuke asked, moving to sit on the bed with Ken, Chibimon already snoring in a corner that he had made a nest of blankets in.

"It seems so strange," Ken said with a shake of his head. "I don't know if I could explain it, not in a way that made sense. The digital world selected children to help protect the digital world. But yet, here we are, fighting humans with digimon and being forced to serve in the military....it's wrong."

"Says the guy who tried to take over the digital world because he thought it was a video game." Daisuke scoffed.

"That was ended rather quickly." Ken said, voice chilled.

"Yeah, cause I beat you senseless about it." Daisuke shook his head, heaving a sigh.

"Had I stayed in the digital word, the others wouldn't have had a safe place to retreat to." Ken said quietly, pressing a hand to his face.

"It's not your fault Ken," Wormmon said quietly.

"oh, but it is. I wonder if...Ryo," Ken said, opening his eyes at the mention of the teenager he once went to the digital world with.

"Ryo?" Daisuke asked with a frown.

"His partner is mentally unstable." wormmon commented, shaking his head.

"No, well, yes, but...I wonder if I can reach out to him." Ken said, rubbing his head with a sigh. "Though, with the fact that his partner is indeed insane, they may just try to kill him instead of use him...if he's even in this universe anymore."

"This universe?" Daisuke asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I...it's complicated. He explained it to me, once, before Osamu died. I don't think I have everything fully understood to even begin to explain it though. He may also be hiding in the digital world...if that's the case, perhaps we can reach him. If he's not in this universe, then..." Ken shrugged, Wormmon following the conversation quietly.

"Let's just get to sleep and think about it in the morning." Daisuke decided, crawling onto the other side of the bed. Ken adjusted his position, resting his head on Daisuke's chest.

"How did we get here?" Ken asked softly, closing his eyes.

"We walked, a very long way." Daisuke responded, relaxing when he heard Ken's amused chuckles.

"You know what I mean," he said, glancing up at Ken.

"And you know what I mean." Daisuke responded, shutting his eyes. "Get to sleep why don't you?"

"It's going to come crashing down," Ken warned. "Something tells me, deep down, that this is going to be the last place we feel safe."

"I'll take temporary safety," Daisuke said, eyes closed. He snuggled closer to Ken, Ken moving as Wormmon moved to sleep on the pillow, the pair staying awake with their own thoughts longer than either would have thought.

****

"What do you mean the mission has been put off by two weeks?"

Taichi tapped his foot against the ground, feeling the restless energy of the team behind him. Daigo gave a small shrug, shaking his head.

"They lost track of the target somewhere in the French countryside." He said finally. "We think someone tipped him off and now he's on the run. It'll take several weeks at least to get a target pinned back on him. Once that happens, then the mission will be off to a start."

"And what are we supposed to do until then?" Taichi demanded, feeling a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged Yamato off, taking a step towards Daigo.

"Well, they're debating the benefit of sending you to the digital world." Daigo said with a shrug. "However, since it's a stupid decision really, they are probably not going to go forth with it. And while we're on the subject, they're trying to track down the first two that managed to escape."

"Great, more hypothetical solutions." Jou muttered, sitting down in a chair.

Taichi tensed at the mention of the first two, slowly shaking his head. "I thought they gave that up as a joke?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "Not like they were ever helpful in the first place."

"They've reconsidered," Daigo said with a shrug. "Can't say why, to be honest. It's whatever they want to do, you know?" He raised an eyebrow, Yamato rolling his eyes.

"And we're supposed to dance to their strings, since it doesn't matter anyway what they do." He grunted.

"Well of course, that's why you're in the military's service." Daigo said with a nod. "You'll be heading out for routine searches. Countryside of Japan, not too far. Of course, they're only sending three of you at any given time until operation Wallace is a go."

"So why tell us if they were just going to pull us from the mission before we were even going to go?" Taichi asked.

Daigo shook his head, shrugging. "Can't say for sure. Maybe they were hoping that the subject wouldn't run. But, they already know him to be quite a flighty boy, for an American. There has been talk of another man, name of Ryo-last name unknown-that has appeared in the Japanese countryside. Has a Cyberdramon for a partner. That's the current target focus, while they rearrange the situation with Wallace."

"Did France decide they didn't want us in their territory?" Koushiro asked, speaking up for the first time since Daigo had entered the room. It had been known that France often protested sending the digimon factions into their country at all, insisting that they remain neutral. In that instance, they also insisted that no known digimon and chosen were in their country.

"More or less," Daigo said with a small shrug. "They're negotiating passage now, but..." He shrugged, offering them the 'you know how it is' look.

"Who's going after this Ryo kid?" Yamato asked.

"Sora, Jou, and you." Daigo said, turning his attention to Yamato. "Hope you feel up to leading a group."

"And the rest of us?" Taichi asked.

"Technically you're still in solitary confinement, but they're sending Koushiro and Mimi out to the other side of the country to look for any others that show signs of possible digital partnership. You, Taichi, will be staying here." Daigo explained, Taichi letting out a small sigh but nodding.

"When will we leave?" Koushiro asked.

"This afternoon, be ready by thirteen hundred hours. Are we clear on the tasks?" Daigo asked.

"Nope," Taichi said, the others nodding along in agreement.

"You," Daigo said, turning to look at Taichi. "Are coming with me."

"What did I do now?" Taichi asked, feeling Daigo's hand around his wrist. He was tucked towards the door, the others grimacing as Daigo shook his head. He felt the silence lengthen as Daigo took him down a hall, using his badge to get into a room. He shut the door, beginning to methodically check the corners, finding several recording devices and destroying them. He gave the room a third over, making absolutely sure that no one was listening in.

"What's going on?" Taichi frowned.

"They think they found your siblings," Daigo said, Taichi feeling his stomach bottom out. He sat on a chair, feeling a rise of nausea eat at him.

"how...?" Taichi asked.

"They killed Mrs. Takaishi, Yamato's mother, and sent her ashes to her father. It went to France. The tracker was destroyed after that, but they feel confident that they're hiding in France."

"Can you send-" Taichi began.

"I already warned them about Wallace. I'll see what I can do about the others. They're cautious, but they can only be so cautious before something happens." Daigo responded.

"Of course," Taichi closed his eyes, tipping his head back. "What am I supposed to do while the others leave?"

"Back to solitary confinement, or they want to see if you can try and get your digimon to evolve to perfect again." Daigo shook his head, frowning. Taichi grimaced, closing his eyes and hiding his face in his hands, Daigo catching sight of the number "1" branded into his wrist.

"it's a waste," he mumbled.

"I know," Daigo said with a nod, watching as Taichi sighed. "But the other option is torture, which would get you out like, tomorrow, instead of in two weeks."

"All of this because four kids escaped?" He asked.

"They had the ability to use the armour evolution that the other two did." Daigo commented. "Had the digimentals and everything."

"Perfect," Taichi sighed, pushing himself out of the chair. "Solitary confinement it is."

"I'll take you there." Daigo said, leading him out of the room.

****

_Takeru listened to the train pull to a stop, shaking his companions awake. They all glanced at him, Tailmon giving him the longest side eye._

_"We're here," he said, listening to the French announcement of the train station. The five of them stepped out of the compartment, Takeru leading the way._

_He had only met his grandfather once, and he was uncertain now what the man would look like. He let his gaze run over the people, frowning when he saw a man in a scarf and a pair of bike goggles on his head wave when he glanced his way. He felt Hikari take his hand, the human forms of Patamon and Tailmon glancing at each other as Wizarmon stiffened. They moved towards the man quickly, the man moving towards them in return._

_"TK, it's good to see you," he said, reaching over and ruffling Takeru's hair. He spoke rapid French, Hikari feeling lost in the conversation. "We have a car ready for you. The family farm's looking like it will be nice weather to start planting. Of course, your cousin Catherine is waiting with the car. She'll be thrilled to see you."_

_The group of six made their way through the train station, into the car that Michel had mentioned. A young teenager with blond hair opened the car door for them, beckoning them in. The four of them squeezed into the back awkwardly, while Michel took the driver's seat and Wizarmon took the passenger's seat up front._

_"It's a pleasure to meet you," Catherine said with a smile, Takeru nodding along in agreement._

_"This is Winston, Peter, Tala, and Hikari." Takeru introduced, Catherine memorizing the falsified names as he pointed out Wizarmon, Patamon, Tailmon, and Hikari in that order. "They don't speak French."_

_"Ah, my apologies," Catherine said, switching to English._

_"It's fine," Hikari responded. "Thank you for the assistance."_

_"I hope the farm we have set up works well for you." Catherine looked down for a moment, frowning. "France has officially declared herself neutral regarding the issue of digimon and partners. Do you two have a plan for what you wish to do?"_

_"We want to save the others." Takeru said, his grandpa giving them a small glance._

_"They helped us get free, it's only fair that we help them in return." Hikari agreed._

_"Of course," Catherine said with a nod, glancing down at her hands. "While France is neutral, it doesn't mean that we chosen have any better a time here than you did in Japan. We still have to be secretive in nature. If found, we are liable to be sent elsewhere, but they don't actively track us."_

_"Who's your partner?" Takeru asked, Catherine blushing._

_"Floramon, she's at home currently." She responded, Hikari shifting in her seat and looking out the window as Michel drove them away from the city. "I have an aunt her name is Camille, that lives in the village the farm is near by. She's a wonderfully sweet woman and knows a lot about herbs, if you have any questions...."_

_"Hikari?"_

_Hikari glanced up at Tailmon, the digimon tipping her head to the side. Hikari shook her head in response to the unanswered question, touching the crest of light-the only thing they determined that didn't have a tracking device located in it-hanging around her neck._

_"I'm worried about Taichi," she said, leaving Catherine and Takeru to their conversation about gardening._

_"He'll be able to take care of himself." Tailmon promised, shifting in the cramped quarters and pressing herself against Hikari, closing her eyes. Hikari nodded, staring out the window and watching the rain as it began to fall once more._

****

Hikari hesitated, pausing outside the door before knocking softly. She tipped her head when she heard a coughed 'come in', opening the door and stepping in before shutting it behind her. The purple haired girl glanced at her, a look of confusion crossing her face as Hikari smiled.

"It's good to see you awake," she said as she walked further into the room, setting down a basket of clean laundry. "I'm Hikari, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've been taking care of you."

"Where...are we?" Miyako asked, clearing her throat and pushing herself up further, Poromon bounding over to her.

"You've been dreadfully sick, don't-" Poromon sighed as Miyako rested her back against the wall, glancing at Hikari.

"Have I died and gone to heaven?" She asked, offering Hikari a weak smile.

"I hope not, and this is probably the furthest thing from heaven a person could get." Hikari responded with her own smile, glancing at Poromon. "But he's right, you have been sick, it would be unwise to push yourself. What do you last remember?"

"Crossing over into France," Miyako said, grabbing an extra blanket and draping it around her shoulders, shivering. "Where are we?"

"Just outside a small village, still in France. You and your friends showed up about two days ago in the middle of the night, during what was probably the worst storm we had this wear. I was worried you wouldn't recover..." Hikari hesitated, shaking her head. "But it seems as if the worry was unnecessary."

Miyako shook her head, grunting when the room spun. "I still feel like I'm being dragged under water." She admitted.

"You're welcome to stay here as long as you want," Hikari promised. "Your friends are also welcome to stay here until you are completely recovered."

"Why are you helping us?" Miyako asked. "Isn't it dangerous to be associated with the chosen children and their partners?"

"Sure it is," Hikari agreed. "But the only people who know about this farm and what we stand for are the chosen kids themselves and a village witch down the way." Hikari explained. "To everyone else, we're just a farm that doesn't like people."

"You're chosen yourself, aren't you?" Miyako asked with a frown. "Hey....you look familiar."

"Familiar?" Hikari asked with a frown.

"When we were running, the man that protected us...He gave me a phrase that I passed on to Iori before I...guess I lost conscious huh?" Miyako frowned.

"Please don't push yourself," Poromon said quietly, resting on Miyako's lap. "I don't want to see you sick again."

"I won't Poromon," Miyako said softly.

"Do you mind...how old were you when you got your partner?" Hikari asked.

Miyako frowned at the question, tipping her head back and considering it before shrugging. "I was twelve," she said. "They didn't find out until a bit after my eighteenth birthday? Maybe nineteenth. Iori and I received our digimon at the same time. Though, we were only able to-at the time-armour evolve. The nasty business we were dealing with got put on hold when the four of us realized...." She trailed off, shaking her head. "It doesn't matter."

"You four all got your digimon around the same time?" Hikari asked, Miyako nodding with a small frown.

"No," she said after a moment. "Ken had his digimon long before we got ours. He was young when he got his...I don't know how old. We didn't talk about it while we travelled."

"I see," Hikari said with a nod, glancing towards the door. "Uhm, the...man who saved you...." She hesitated, considering her next question.

"Yeah?" Miyako asked.

"Was he partnered with an Agumon, by chance?" Hikari asked.

"He was," Poromon answered.

"He seemed anxious when he came across myself and Iori. He had the military branding, so we knew he was with them.... But he covered our escape, made it seem like he was fighting with us when really, he was covering our escape." Miyako explained.

"He called himself Taichi and told us, 'SkullGreymon rides the sky again'." Poromon piped up.

"It was roams, not rides." Miyako corrected. "Told us that if we found the resistance, they would know the phrase and would protect us. So, you're part of the resistance?"

"Yeah, Takeru and I help the chosen either get to the digital world or..." Hikari hesitated, dropping her hands into her lap. "I suppose, if they really want to fight, we help them meet up with Wallace. I-" she glanced at the clock, getting up. "I have to go milk the goats. I just wanted to see if you were awake. And I'm glad that you are! I'll let Iori know, unless he's in here before I see him this morning."

She backed out of the room before Miyako could ask anything else, closing the door and nearly jumping when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Whoa, I didn't mean to scare you," Daisuke said, taking a step back as Hikari turned to him, hand going to her still missing pocket knife. She dropped her hands with a sigh, shaking her head.

"Please don't sneak up on me." She said, watching him nod slowly. "Are you ready to milk some goats?"

"Yeah!" He grinned. "Takeru and Ken already headed up to feed them." He added, following Hikari out the door. She slipped on a pair of muck boots, grimacing.

"We forgot to mention this earlier, but we do have extra muck boots in the storage room if you would like a pair that fit." She said as Daisuke slipped on his own shoes, quietly thankful that taking shoes off upon entering homes was common in Japan.

"I'll look later. So, goats?" He asked as Hikari headed up towards the barn. She grabbed the pail that was just inside the door to their milking room, gesturing for Daisuke to sit down. She set the pail at the end of the stanchion. She stepped outside before she brought in the alpine, leading her by the collar and locking her head into place.

"This is Bos," she said, nodding at the goat. "She's an alpine. Alpines tend to have a high butter fat content within their milk." She pulled the stool around, setting it behind the goat and patiently showed Takeru exactly how they milked after pulling on a pair of disposable gloves over her other gloves. Daisuke watched her curiously, sitting down to try after a moment. He frowned when nothing happened, glancing at Hikari.

"You need to squeeze harder," she said.

"But I don't want to hurt her." Daisuke protested.

"Trust me, it won't hurt." Hikari promised, watching him. She frowned, looking at his hand position and leaning over, showing him the okay sign and placing his hands in the proper position. She watched him struggle for a moment longer before he finally manage it, a grin crossing his face.

It was several minutes before he frowned, realizing that once again nothing was coming out. "She's done," Hikari said, moving around and letting Bos out when Daisuke moved both himself and the pail. She took Bos back to the yard, bringing Calliope in and gesturing for him to try once more.

"She has smaller teats," Daisuke said with a frown.

"Smaller goat too," Hikari said with a nod. "Dwarf Nigerian, about as big as they get. It'll be the same procedure, different goat."

Daisuke settled down once more, beginning again the task with a frown. It took him a moment before it clicked, Hikari nodding. It was another ten minutes before they were done, Hikari moving the pail and taking Calliope out of the milking room.

"Now what?" He asked.

"We bring the milk to the house and wash out the pail." She explained. "Bigger farms have different things to do, but since we're small and private, we don't have to do as much."

"Does it ever....bother you?" He asked, Hikari frowning at the unexpected question.

"What do you mean?" She asked as the pair began to trek back to the house, taking off their shoes at the door. He propped it open for her, watching as Hikari placed the pail on the counter and grabbed the container for milk.

"Ken and Takeru are nearly done with chores," Tailmon said from the back of the couch, opening an eye to watch her partner.

"I mean...being out here," Daisuke said after a moment. "Don't you...want to be doing something?"

"Of course I do," Hikari said, placing the container of milk in the fridge and shut it. She fiddled with the pendent around her neck, considering the question. "It's a matter of what can you do without being caught. If I or Takeru were found, we would be sent back to Japan, regardless of France's neutrality."

"Why?" Daisuke asked.

"Japanese citizens, they would send us back." Hikari said with a shrug. "Don't mistake someone's inaction for not wanting to do something to help a situation."

"You're afraid," he said, Hikari nodding slowly.

"Of course we're afraid," she sighed, running a hand through her hair. Her gaze flicked to the plate on the wall, watching it flash blue-red-blue. "But I think caution is also wise,"

She walked to the door, opening it as the man on the other side lifted his hand to knock. She smiled, nodding at the Terriermon and Lopmon in his arms.

"Hello Wallace, how are you?" Hikari said, waving him in. "This is Daisuke, Daisuke, this is Wallace."

"Hey, I've heard a lot about you." Daisuke said with a grin, glancing down at his digimon curiously.

"Will you two stay out of trouble?" Wallace asked, his gaze darting between the two. Lopmon nodded, Terriermon considering the question with a small frown.

"What's the definition of behaving?" He asked.

"Don't get yourself into trouble." Wallace amended. "You know the farm rules."

"Stay out of Piper's pen," Hikari added, watching the two digimon scurry off.

"Do you want me to keep an eye on them?" Tailmon asked, hopping off the back of the couch and stretching.

"Please," Wallace said with a smile. Tailmon wandered off in the direction of the two digimon, Daisuke seeming to bounce in his spot. "It's a pleasure to meet you Daisuke," Wallace said, turning his attention to the man. "When did you arrive?"

"During the huge storm," Hikari said. "Do you have any news....?"

"They delayed the attack," Wallace said, Daisuke watching them curiously. "Going after a chosen in Japan. Ryo is causing a distraction, doing a pretty bang up job about it too."

"Ryo? Does his last name happen to be Akiyama?" Ken asked, Takeru and he stepping through the door.

"Yep, that's the one." Wallace said, turning to Ken with a smile. "I'm Wallace, it's nice to meet you." He held out his hand, Ken taking it and giving him a quick hand shake before moving to step next to Daisuke.

"Ichijouji Ken," he said with a small nod.

"They're still looking for ya," Wallace said, his gaze darting between Ken and Daisuke. "Though they think that you're still in Japan. Welcome to France!"

"They're having a lovely time being useless, I'm sure." Ken said, voice cold. Daisuke nudged him, Takeru rubbing his temples.

"How's Miyako?" He asked, glancing at Hikari.

"She woke up this morning before milking." Hikari said, crossing her arms over her chest. "What other news do you have for us Wallace?"

"He's in solitary confinement, at least it's not torture?" Wallace offered, Hikari glaring at him. "Ryo is planning on attacking the main base within the next week while most of the forces are away. It leaves just one of the main faction there. The others have all managed to successfully disappear into the digital world from Japan themselves."

"So the colonies are doing well?" Takeru asked.

"Colonies?" Daisuke interrupted, Wallace glancing at him and Ken.

"The Digital world colonies, yes." He said with a nod. "A lot of the chosen have decided to flee there. It's honestly the best option there is at the moment. We have a small base here in France that has several chosen in America that's causing havoc. Honestly, the American government is mostly in shambles and they're sticking around to just be a hassle. They're currently facing a civil war if things don't change."

"We want to help, here." Ken said, Hikari restraining from making a comment as Daisuke nodded in agreement.

"Of course, we could always use more help." Wallace said with a nod. "But, for right now, there hasn't been a lot to do."

"What's the plan for getting the Japanese chosen out?" Daisuke asked.

"There isn't a plan, other than to cause confusion and as much destruction without hurting anyone as we can." Wallace said with a shake of his head, Hikari crossing her arms over her chest.

"Why isn't there a plan?" Ken asked.

"They're in the best position of anyone to find and help people to escape," Takeru snapped. "That is why there is not a plan to save them. They don't want to-"

"How can you know?" Daisuke demanded, turning to face him. "You didn't see what it's like in Japan! You didn't see people living in fear that someone in their family was going to get a digimon and be drafted into the fucking army, despite their age. You've been out here for seven fucking years!"

Wallace took a step back as Daisuke switched to Japanese, Hikari pressing herself against the wall, hearing the door to Miyako's room open and seeing Iori poking his head out in concern.

"I've seen kids show up, bleeding and crying, because they had to leave their home in the dead of night. They don't have anywhere safe to go, so they come here. They leave _everything_ behind to try and find a bit of peace so they don't have to fight a war they don't believe in. I've seen teenagers show up with blood on their hands, crying, because they had to hurt someone to get away. Don't you dare tell me-" Takeru began, taking a step towards Daisuke.

"Chibimon!" Daisuke snapped, the digimon looking up from where he had been looking at a picture book with Wormmon. "Why don't we settle this the way they're forced to settle things? Then maybe you'll see the point."

"I wouldn't press the issue if I were you." Wallace interjected, not quite able to comprehend everything, but understanding a large portion thanks to the lessons in Japanese he had been given.

"Shut up, you're not part of this." Daisuke snapped.

"I think you've gone too far Daisuke." Ken intoned, voice flat.

"Pretty boy here wants to say that we shouldn't help them? Let him back his words up with a fucking fight." Daisuke snarled. Chibimon hopped over to his partner, blinking at Takeru.

"What's the highest you can evolve?" Takeru asked, already heading towards the door. "I won't insult your intelligence by being more powerful than you."

"You-" Daisuke stormed after him, Hikari and Wallace following with an annoyed looking Ken trailing behind. Iori joined as well, Upamon in his arms.

"That doesn't answer my question." Takeru said as he stepped outside, Patamon heading towards his partner when he saw him, dropping the human disguise. Hikari saw Tailmon with the twins, the cat digimon frowning as the three of them headed back towards them.

"I'd hate to insult your intelligence by telling you." Daisuke mimicked, planting himself at the end of the driveway.

"Fine," Takeru said, his gaze darting to Patamon. "Evolve," he said, Hikari shaking her head.

"This is the stupidest reason you've gotten in a fight." Tailmon commented, Angemon swinging his staff.

"Chibimon," Daisuke nodded, the digimon evolving into V-mon.

"Now what?" V-mon asked, glancing up at Angemon.

"Armour evolution," Daisuke called, selecting the digimental of courage. Takeru observed as Fladramon landed on the field, the digimon darting forward with a grin on his face.

"Evolve," Takeru said with a small shrug, watching Angemon evolve to HolyAngemon. Daisuke frowned, watching the match. HolyAngemon.

"Fire rocket!" Fladramon charged towards HolyAngemon, the angel glancing at Takeru before taking to the air, wings beating and creating a breeze.

"This is not a fair fight," HolyAngemon commented.

"Yeah," Takeru replied, watching as Fladramon darted forward, thrusting himself into the air and attempting to punch HolyAngemon with flaming fists. "Just, don't suck him into another dimension, I think you'll be fine."

"What-" Daisuke growled, grunting. "You're not even trying, are you?"

"No, I'm not." Takeru said, watching as HolyAngemon blocked the attacks with Excalibur, the sword flashing as quickly as Fladramon could move.

"I think it's enough." Hikari called, watching HolyAngemon swipe down, knocking Fladramon out of the air. The other digimon quickly sprang back up, unwilling to give up the fight.

"This is not a path that you can win," the angel digimon said, gaze locked on Fladramon. "It is pointless for this fight to continue."

"No," Daisuke snapped. "You're not even trying!"

"You don't know what you're talking about." Takeru ground out, settling his gaze on Daisuke. "You showed up two days ago and expect to just jump right into rescuing people when you don't understand what's at stake." HolyAngemon moved out of the way of Fladramon's attack, knocking the digimon back onto the ground.

"Daisuke, that is enough." Ken said softly, Daisuke glancing at him with a grunt.

"Judgment slash," HolyAngemon said calmly, knocking Fladramon to the ground. He groaned, devolving to V-mon and sitting up, rubbing his head.

"Are you two done now?" Hikari demanded, unfolding her arms.

"I-" Daisuke began. Hikari rounded on him, anger in her eyes.

"I am tired of your accusatory crap Motomiya." She snapped. "You have been here two days, you know nothing. And you Takaishi, you god damn idiot!" She turned on Takeru, stalking towards him and smacking him across the face. "You know better than to play the fucking games that anyone god damn fucking challenges you to. Act like you have a brain why don't you?"

"I-" Takeru lowered his gaze, raising a hand to the red spot on his face. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, Patamon devolving and settling on Takeru's head.

"Apologize to each other." Hikari suggested, turning on her heel and storming into the house. Wallace offered a small apology, ducking his head and quickly following her into the house as well.

Takeru shoved his hands in his pockets, scuffing at the dirt with his shoe before he looked up at Daisuke. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, dropping his gaze.

Daisuke bent down, picking up Chibimon and shifting from foot to foot, opening his mouth before shaking his head. "I met those guys, the original faction in Japan. They aren't happy where they're at. Two of them don't even talk anymore. They have to kill when they're told to. They're kept apart from their digimon-"

"I know," Takeru said, walking away from the conversation and up to the barn. Daisuke moved to go after them, Ken resting a hand on his shoulder.

"We're here under their hospitality and good will. Please, just drop it." Ken murmured.

"But he doesn't-" Daisuke snapped, looking at Ken's face. He turned, heading towards the house. Ken glanced at Takeru before glancing at his boyfriend, turning and heading up to the barn. He opened the barn door, wincing as the sliding door seemed to echo.

"What do you want?" Takeru asked, pulling himself up from the goat pen, brushing off his pants.

"To apologize for my boyfriend's idiocy," Ken said with a frown. His gaze flicked to the baby goat Takeru had been holding. "That wasn't here before."

"No, Sylia had at least one kid," Takeru said, setting the towel on the edge of the fence. "She'll probably have two more, if what I felt is correct."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Ken asked.

"Want to watch her with me?" Takeru asked. "Normally we don't intervene unless we need to. Sylia's a first time mom, so I'd worry about her being up here alone."

"Do you want me to tell Hikari?" Patamon asked from his spot on the divider.

"If you want, bring back a clean towel, okay?" Takeru suggested, watching Patamon fly off. Ken opened the door, locking it behind him and walking over to Takeru. He glanced at the Alpine, watching the goat nudge the kid closer to her.

"It's a peaceful life out here," Ken said quietly, watching as Sylia pushed out another baby, Takeru taking the towel he had before and beginning to rub the kid dry.

"Yeah, I guess." Takeru said, glancing at Ken and shifting, setting the mostly dry kid in front of the goat so she could finish licking him off. "It's not the best, but...it's at least something."

"How old were you when you met Patamon?" Ken asked.

"I was eight," Takeru commented. He watched the kids nuzzle against their mother, his gaze sliding over to Ken. "The regulations on digimon and partners started when I was...ten? I ran when I was thirteen. My mom's dead, I don't know anything about the rest of my family, other than my grandfather. But look, I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

"Of course," Ken said, frowning as Sylia gave birth to the third baby, Takeru sighing and shaking his head. He rubbed the baby until he heard it start to scream, setting it next to her. The silence lengthened, Takeru letting out a small laugh.

"Patamon never did like watching the goats give birth." He mused.

"If we're causing tension, we can leave." Ken offered.

"Don't worry about it. I think we both just needed to break. It should be okay." Takeru promised, pushing himself up and rubbing Sylia's head. He glanced at the now dirty towel, grimacing before throwing it over his shoulder and nodding. "Shall we head back?"

"Of course," Ken said, following Takeru out of the barn. He watched the teenager set the towel outside of the front door, stepping into the house. He followed, hearing Wallace's laugh and Daisuke cooking in the kitchen.

"It was a close call, but France locked them out." Wallace said with a nod, Hikari nowhere in sight. "We often deal with things like this, but normally, they can't get further than a couple miles within France. It's the safest country to be in at the moment."

"They're still going to come after you." Takeru pointed out.

"I sent them a little present in the form of Diablomon a couple months back. It slowed them down enough that they're reconsidering it." Wallace said with a small shrug. Ken and Daisuke exchanged a glance, Daisuke setting down the food that he had been mixing together.

"You were the cause of that?" Daisuke asked, eyes wide. "I heard about it...."

"Yep," Wallace said with a small grin. "Not the nicest present to send someone, but it did the job. I feel bad for the team that had to deal with it..."

"So, what can we do for you Wallace?" Takeru asked, standing up from the wall he had been leaning against.

"Right!" Wallace said, pulling his bag to the front and pulling out several objects. He walked over to Takeru, the teenager taking them with a frown. "They're presents," he explained.

"Presents?" Takeru asked, glancing down at them.

"For our five years of friendship. One's for you and one's for Hikari." He winked, Takeru's frown deepening.

"Should I be worried....?" Takeru asked, setting the one marked Hikari aside. He glanced up at Wallace, opening the box and looking at the clothes inside. "What even are these?" He asked, picking up the item and studying the material.

"Clothes," Wallace said. "You'll be needing them soon enough."

Takeru set the box aside, pulling out the outfit. It was light weight, the crest of hope embroidered in the back.

"They're pretty heavy duty, despite being such lightweight outfits. Blades can't cut through the material." Wallace explained.

"Okay..." Takeru frowned, glancing up at him.

"Whether we like it or not, there is going to be a fight coming." Wallace said, growing serious. "I want you to be prepared."

"How soon are we talking?" Takeru asked.

"A month, a year, a decade, we don't know when, but it is coming. I can feel it in the air." Wallace said.

"The most we can do is be prepared," Terriermon said with a nod, moving to settle on Wallace's left shoulder, Lopmon moving to his right shoulder with a grin.

"Yep yep," the other digimon said with a nod.

"We want to join the fight too," Daisuke said, catching Wallace's attention.

"Then this is the place to be." Wallace said with a nod. Takeru rubbed his temples, slowly shaking his head.

"We can't..." He glanced at Ken and Daisuke, sighing. "Fine, we can."

"Really?" Wallace asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you'd say no."

"I'm tired," Takeru admitted, shoulders sagging. "The sooner this is done, the sooner I can sleep."

"Come on, sleep is for the dead." Daisuke said with a grin.

"Exactly," Takeru responded, Daisuke's grin falling. He glanced at Ken, the man offering him a small, confused shrug.

Wallace glanced from Takeru to the other two, something dawning as he nodded. "Do you...have a moment?" He asked Takeru, gesturing towards the study. Takeru nodded, heading that way. Wallace followed, Takeru opening and shutting the door behind the American. "They don't know," he whispered.

"No, and I would like to keep it that way." Takeru said quietly, watching Wallace's glance fall onto his covered arm. He reached out, Takeru gritting his teeth but letting him take his arm and push the sleeve up, revealing the branded "7" there.

"You're going to lie to them, when they want to help..." Wallace shook his head. "Why?"

Takeru yanked his arm back, shoving the sleeve down. "Because this is something I never wanted." He said with a wave at the air.

"But you and Hikari-" Wallace began.

"I know," he said with a sigh. "Trust me, every day, I look at the paths that we have chosen. In the end, it will be us. It will be us versus them and it will be terrible, I know. But now, I just want to be a goat farmer and enjoy the fact that Sylia had her first kidding-"

"is that what the...goop is on your shirt?" Wallace asked. Takeru glanced down, realizing he did indeed have goat birth goop on his shirt.

"Yes, yes it is. Welcome to farming Wallace." Takeru said, patting the man's back and walking out of the study. "I suggest washing your hands, since it was blood and other questionable bodily fluids on my hands."

"What?" Daisuke asked, stopping when he heard Takeru's last words to Wallace.

"Sylia had her kids. I have goat birth goop on me. I am going to change," Takeru promised him, Daisuke taking a step back as Takeru walked past. "Oh, wait until we butcher chickens. Sometimes, the blood just gets everywhere."

"I hope your kidding," Ken said with a frown.

"The only one kidding is Sylia." Takeru said with a grin, disappearing up the stairs and to his bedroom.

****

_Mimi sat at the table, looking at her hands quietly. She could see Palmon across from her, the digimon tipping her head to the side. "Where are we going?" she asked._

_"I don't know," Mimi said with a shake of her head. After the events of ninety nine, her parents had taken her to America, hoping to escape the digimon. But, after the call for those with digimon to return, Mimi had been forced to go back to Japan, despite her parents' protest. She hadn't seen them since she and Palmon ahd boarded the private jet. "We're supposed to meet up with the others," she added._

_"We haven't seen them in a while." Palmon agreed, the digimon glancing out the window of the plane. Mimi looked down at her hands, frowning as she pressed her hand flat._

_"This isn't how I wanted to spend my fourteenth birthday," Mimi grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. "I was supposed to have a big party and everything tomorrow night."_

_"I'm sorry Mimi," Palmon said with a frown. She shook her head, looking up at the digimon._

_"It's not your fault," she promised, grimacing as the sign to put seat belts back on flashed overhead, the pilot stating that they would be landing within thirty minutes. Mimi and Palmon did as instructed, Mimi staring out the window to watch Japan come into view._

_"Will we be okay?" Palmon asked._

_"Of course!" Mimi said with a grin, feeling the plane land not long after. The two were ushered off, a man in a suit taking them to a car. Mimi got in the back, looking at the man. "Can you tell us where we're being taken...?" She asked._

_"A secured facility," the man responded, turning back to his phone as he started typing on it. Mimi opened her mouth to ask more questions, deciding against it when the man gave her a disgusted look. She pulled Palmon onto her lap, the digimon watching the street lights pass._

_It was another hour before they reached the location outside of the city, the man leading Mimi and Palmon into the facility and heading towards the back._

_"What are we doing here?" Mimi asked, suddenly stopping as she glanced behind her, jumping when she heard a door slam shut._

_"You'll see," the man said, waving her into a room. She stepped in, her frown deepening as she saw her friends. She turned towards the door, shaking her head when it was shut behind her._

_"What's going on?" Mimi asked, moving to sit between Koushiro and Sora._

_"Digital military recruitment," Koushiro muttered under his breath._

_"Digital....military recruitment?" Mimi asked with a frown._

_"They want to keep a close eye on 'dangerous individuals'." Jou said, complete with air quotes. "We've been here for a couple of days, but they haven't told us much beyond that."_

_"They think digimon are dangerous and, because we're their partners, we need to be watched at all times." Yamato looked up from where he had been sitting, his arms crossed over his chest._

_"Being drafted..." Taichi shook his head, glancing at the others._

_"Are they doing that to everyone with a digimon?" Mimi asked, her gaze flicking around the group, seeing that even Takeru and Hikari were there, their digimon pressed up against them._

_"The ones that they can find," Koushiro glanced up, watching as Mimi looked at her hands, Palmon touching her partner's hand in worry._

_"They're not dangerous," Mimi snapped._

_"They really are though." Yamato commented, shaking his head. "We can try and say that they're the nicest people around, but digimon as a whole are dangerous. We all saw the damage that happened three years ago. Honestly, we're the entire reason they're doing this."_

_"That wasn't our fault!" Taichi snapped. "If anything, they should blame Vamdemon for causing all the destruction that happened."_

_"They can't because he's dead." Sora looked up from where she had been sitting, her gaze darting between Taichi and Yamato. "None of this is practical, but they said it would be four years and we're done. As long as they can assess that we're not a danger to society."_

_"They brought Mimi all the way from America." Yamato responded. "Do you really think this is some just four year bullshit?"_

_"Please stop arguing," Hikari said quietly, glancing up from her spot on the floor. "You're making my head hurt."_

_"Sorry," the older kids glanced at each other, Hikari shaking her head and offering them a small smile._

_"I don't think they can legally detain us without our parent's knowledge for much longer. Or at all," Koushiro said, his fingers tapping against the top of the table. "As long as they don't consent, we should be able to avoid being drafted anywhere, being the fact that we are under the legal age."_

_"I don't think they will," Takeru said quietly, glancing up. "If we're here, we're here. They might find digimon a menace to society, but they're also powerful weapons..."_

_"Oh," Mimi whispered, everyone jumping when a door opened, a woman and a man walking in and shutting the door behind them._

_"Welcome to your new home," the woman said, walking to the front of the table and resting her hand in it. "You have all been selected for a new branch of military, the Digital Enforcement. Due to your....unique capabilities regarding the digimon, you will now be a service to your country, rather than a menace." She smiled, Mimi feeling fear grip her as the woman talked._

****

_Hikari stared out the small window of the farm house, jumping when she felt a hand on her shoulder, Takeru taking a step back._

_"I'm sorry," the teenager said quickly, Hikari dropping her hands with a shake of her head._

_"I'm just jumpy," she replied. "What's up?"_

_"We have Catherine's aunt stopping by today. She has some chickens that she wants to give us for eggs." Takeru explained. The pair had been on the farm for nearly six months, adjusting as well as they could. Wizarmon, Tailmon, and Patamon had settled in, the three finding ways to be useful while Hikari and Takeru figured things out._

_"That would be nice. We can maybe..." Hikari's face fell, the girl pressing her hands to her face and shuddering. "I want the others." She mumbled._

_"I know," Takeru said, wrapping an arm around her and holding her close. "We're just...waiting, right?"_

_"How long do we have to wait?" Hikari snapped, shoving Takeru away. "How long do we have to wait until they give us a sign?"_

_"Hikari..." Takeru frowned, shaking his head slowly and running a hand through his hair. He hadn't gotten it cut since they had been at the military compound, and it was starting to get shaggy once more. "I don't have answers to those questions, I wish I did..."_

_"I know," she mumbled, collapsing into a chair. "Just once, I want to know that my brother is okay. I want to know..."_

_"Yeah," Takeru agreed, wondering how he was supposed to remain strong in this situation. "We're getting some updates, when Bahimon is able to send them. That counts, right?"_

_"We've gotten one since we've been here." Hikari pointed out. "What are we doing? We're teenagers, we're..."_

_"We're farming." Takeru said with a small shrug. "We're surviving until we can get everything together. We're-" They both jumped when they heard a knock on the door, Hikari glancing at it nervously._

_"That's not Camille's knock," she whispered, Takeru taking a step towards the door. He felt Patamon settle on his head, the teenager chewing on his lip before he yanked open the door, seeing Hikari pull a knife to his side, though she was blocked by the door. They both took a step back as the young blond collapsed on their floor, a pair of baby digimon nervously hiding behind him._

_"Excuse...me?" Takeru asked politely in French, reaching out to touch the boy's shoulder. The teenager looked up, frowning._

_"English?" He asked hopefully._

_"I speak English," Hikari said, hiding her knife and stepping towards him. "Are you hurt?"_

_"Yeah," he said with a shake of his head. Takeru and Hikari helped him stand, beckoning him and the two digimon inside. "Where...am I?"_

_"France," Hikari supplied, Takeru quietly assessing the situation._

_"I must have hit a warp field..." The teenager ran a hand through his hair, gladly taking the seat that Hikari offered him. "I'm Wallace, I was in America about two minutes ago, running from the police."_

_"What are you doing here?" Hikari asked with a frown._

_"There was a warp field, they've been popping up more frequently. When you run through it, it'll take you anywhere really. I was thinking someplace safe and I'm here now...." He frowned. "I'm Wallace,"_

_"Hikari, and this is Takeru," Hikari said, gesturing between herself and Takeru. "You don't have a tracking device on you, do you?"_

_"No, I got rid of my digivice several states ago." Wallace promised, pressing a hand to his head. "I feel like a train ran over me."_

_"You are in a different country," Hikari agreed. "Are you travelling with someone?" She asked, glancing at the two baby digimon._

_"No, they're both mine." Wallace said, looking towards them. "They hatched from a single egg when I was young. America is crazy and hopping on the digital army train, so I ran. You're..."_

_"From Japan," Hikari said, gaze darting to Takeru._

_"You're the two that got away." Wallace said, his eyes going wide as he glanced between Hikari and Takeru. "They're calling you mentally unstable and possibly terrorists, but a lot of the chosen kids really look up to you on the fact that you got away."_

_"I...don't know how to feel." Hikari frowned at the information, Takeru offering her a small shrug. "If you need somewhere to stay, you're welcome to stay here for a couple of days."_

_"I would appreciate that." Wallace said with a nod. "Are you making a resistance or...?"_

_"We don't know," Takeru said, speaking for the first time. Wallace seemed surprised to hear him speak English, quickly considered the facts, then shrugged. "We want to get our friends out."_

_"Well, I can definitely help if you want to fight." Wallace said, his face falling. "Probably not the best foot to place, but I have been known to kill those that were chasing me..."_

_"Other chosen or...?" Hikari frowned._

_"Never anyone else with a digimon!" Wallace said with a shake of his head. "They have me labeled as dangerous and unstable. But..." He sighed, glancing down at the two baby digimon that were now sleeping under his chair. "I'm going to do what I can to protect those that I care for. I don't know how I can help you, but I want to."_

_"Thank you," Takeru said with a nod._

_"We'll get the other chosen out," Wallace agreed, offering them his hand to shake. Hikari took it, giving him a quick hand shake before Takeru did, feeling a small bud of hope blossom in her chest at the talk of saving the others._

****

Takeru sat on the front lawn, listening to the wind in the trees. Over the past two weeks, Miyako had slowly gotten better, Daisuke, Ken, and Iori becoming a great help on the farm. The four had intermingled well with Hikari and Takeru, the pair finding the sudden presence of so many people in their home distracting.

He tipped his head back, feeling the familiar weight of Patamon settling on his head.

"What are you doing?" The digimon asked, Takeru opening an eye to meet his gaze.

"I'm listening to the nature around me." He said, lifting the digimon off his head and placing him in his lap.

"That sounds boring," Patamon commented.

"Yeah, but it's also relaxing." Takeru said with a shake of his head. "As long as you take a moment to remember that the earth is still here, you can be at peace-"

"TAKERU!"

He sighed when he heard Daisuke's voice dropping his head onto Patamon's body before sitting up, finding his spine to complain too much regarding the position.

"Oh! Daisuke is looking for you." Patamon said, Takeru frowning.

"Thanks," he said, getting up and letting his partner go. He rolled his eyes when Patamon settled back on his head, shoving his hands in his pockets and turning to see Daisuke running towards him. "What's up?" he asked.

"I've been looking for you." He said, doubling over as he stopped to catch his breath.

"I got that much, but....why?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well I...." Daisuke frowned, scratching the side of his nose. "Ya know, I don't remember now. Isn't that the damndest thing?"

"How funny," Takeru said, shivering as a breeze passed through the garden. He glanced at him, slowly shaking his head. "Thank you for doing chores this afternoon,"

"Not a problem! Hikari was showing Iori and I how to trim hooves," he said with a grin.

"Good," Takeru said with a nod. He shifted, turning to head back towards the house. "How...are you today?" He asked, feeling an awkward silence settle between them.

"I keep thinking back to what Wallace said," Daisuke said with a small shrug.

"Which part was that?" Takeru asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That this was the place to be. So far, it feels like we haven't actually done that much?" He shrugged, shaking his head. "If this is the place to be..."

"Don't honestly know why he said that." Takeru said with a shrug. "He and Ryo are a bit off in the head, the both of them. They don't make sense all the time, you know?"

Daisuke frowned, slowly shaking his head. "I guess I don't know." He admitted.

"Doing what we do will eventually drive us all crazy." Pamaton said happily.

"What have I told you about saying creepy things?" Takeru sighed, shaking his head without disturbing the digimon.

"Oh! I'm making a celebration dinner tonight and wanted to know your favorite type of desert." Daisuke said, startling Takeru with the sudden statement.

"Celebration dinner?" Takeru asked with a frown.

"For a good, peaceful, two weeks." Daisuke explained. "It's, not much. But it's the most peace either of us had since we left Japan. It just, feels good to celebrate, ya know?"

"How about having someone who can actually cook on the farm?" Patamon suggested.

Takeru rubbed his eyes, feeling the exhaustion creep over him as Daisuke snorted at Patamon's suggestion. "I can't imagine spending seven years eating Hikari or Takeru's cooking." Daisuke admitted.

"My brother liked to cook," Takeru said quietly. "My parents were separated. Dad....well, I don't know much, but other than that he cooked for dad all the time. Mom was busy, but she was a decent enough cook. I wasn't around long enough to learn that much from her." Takeru said with a shake of his head. "Hikari's mother was always a better cook, but same thing. Neither of us were able to learn and when we got here, we were too tired to teach ourselves, so we did what we could."

"I'm sorry," Daisuke said quietly. "Maybe I shouldn't have joked about it..."

"No, I'm merely making a statement regarding a situation that you don't have all the facts to fully comprehend." Takeru pointed out, glancing towards the sky. "It's going to rain tonight."

"What is it with you and Hikari always predicting rain?" Daisuke asked.

"When the rain becomes blood, so comes the end." Takeru whispered, pressing a hand to his forehead and grunting. He doubled over, Daisuke's eyes going wide as he moved to catch him.

"Takeru?" He asked, shaking the man. "Takeru?" He pleaded, hoisting him up on his back and dragging him towards the farmhouse, mind racing as Patamon flew on ahead to get Hikari.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I know the first chapter was more serious, but I am moving farms tomorrow and just wanted the idea out of my head. I may revisit it to make it seem less...jolt-y near the end? More fleshed out, more serious. But, enjoy it for what it is!
> 
> A true shits and giggles fanfic written in...four days.
> 
> Checked for spelling errors, nothing else is edited. Also, honestly, Pegasmon pulling a carriage just amuses the fuck out of me. You can also probably tell at exactly what moment I was like, "fuck it". I'm sorry, I'm a serious writer sometimes.
> 
> Originally it was gonna end with one of them(probably Takeru) being left in the human world so.... *shrugs* Totally implied DaiKenKeru cause I will die with that ship.

Taichi paced in the room, turning when he heard a knock on the door. He watched it open, feeling a moment of deja vu as Daigo entered, securing the door behind him.

"So, are my two weeks up or have I gone a bit more crazy than usual?" Taichi asked.

"No, they're up." Daigo said with a shake of his head. "You have successfully completed your solitary confinement."

"How long was it this time?" Taichi asked.

"Two months in total." Daigo explained. "But that's not why I'm here."

"Of course it's not," Taichi said with a shake of his head. "What do I have to do to get out of here?"

"Follow me out the door, your team is waiting for you." Daigo said with a small shrug. "But I know this room isn't bugged, so it's safe to pass you this information while we're standing in here. They've confirmed the sight for where the renegades are hiding. They plan on attacking them, regardless if they have France's permission or not to send you into their country."

"The renegades..." Taichi frowned. "Which ones are we talking about?"

"Wallace, the four that recently escaped, and two others, though they have not confirmed with me their identities." Daigo explained. "They want to get in there as quickly as possible."

"And you're telling me this....?" Taichi frowned.

"They're already on the run." Daigo responded. "Before we could even send a message out, they had left. Cleared out. An old woman is watching the place they were at. There's no rhyme or reason to it, it doesn't make sense. But, as far as we know, there are six teenagers and seven digimon on the run, heading to either the digital world-"

"They would be lost completely there. It would be better if they went." Taichi interjected.

"Or they're going to meet up with Wallace." Daigo said, shaking his head at Taichi's suggestion. "The military is expecting them to go to the digital world. If they're out of the real world, as they call it, they wouldn't come back. It would be a headache that would clean itself up."

"But..." Taichi frowned. "it would be safer for them there."

"And more dangerous for the kids here." Daigo said. "Without the safety net put into place, they would have nowhere to run. It would take all of the major players out of the field and leave...."

"Us rounding up defenseless kids and having nowhere to send them." Taichi said quietly, shaking his head.

"Exactly," he said with a quick nod. Taichi let out a groan, considering the options before him.

"What's their intent?" He asked, Daigo frowning at the question.

"They want to capture them all before they escape." Daigo said. "And probably torture them."

Taichi groaned. "And what are we going to do?"

"Go to France, look at the farm, see if you can get any information....and try to avoid being caught." Daigo said.

"Who's going?" Taichi asked.

"You six and a personal soldier each," Daigo responded. "Of course, your partners as well."

"A babysitter," Taichi correct, Daigo letting out a sigh.

"Yes, a babysitter, but they don't trust you to not run away."

"They have tracking devices embedded in our skins." Taichi pointed out. "Not like we could get very far even if they wanted. Besides, the soldiers are likely to be a liability with Wallace in the mix."

"I can't change anyone's mind regarding the decisions that have been made Taichi." Daigo said, meeting his gaze.

"Ya know, I think I would have preferred if you just stayed a fucking teacher." Taichi snapped. "This double agent shit doesn't suit you Daigo."

"Are you going to tell them?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, watching the emotions pass through Taichi's face. Slowly he shook his head, dropping his hands and sighing.

"No point, really, huh?" He asked, glancing up at Daigo. "They probably wouldn't even trust my word."

"You leave tomorrow evening," Daigo said, turning and leading Taichi out of the room and towards the main compound. The man followed, glancing behind him and shuddering. "You wouldn't have to go back so often if you actually did your job."

"I don't want to see any more children sucked up into this." Taichi said quietly, too quietly for even Daigo to hear him.

They stopped outside a room, Taichi nodding at him before entering, kneeling down and throwing his arms around Agumon as the digimon came barreling towards him. He picked him up, spinning him around in a circle before setting him back down. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" He asked the digimon, Agumon blinking up at him.

"It has," he agreed, taking a step back. "Is Taichi in trouble again?"

"I guess you can say I was," Taichi agreed, his gaze darting up to the others, his heart constraining as he saw Mimi's dejected look and Sora's grimace of hopelessness. "How's everyone doing?" He asked.

"Not good," Koushiro said with a shake of his head. _Even with new protocals, they're still managing to escape._

"What happened?" Taichi asked. _Everyone make it out okay?_

_The soldiers killed a kid._ "Botched mission, we don't know what went wrong. The digimon we were tracking when haywire at the last second, attacked a soldier." Yamato responded, voice void of emotion. _Eight year old with a Tokomon._

_Did the others escape?_ "That's...not good." Taichi said slowly.

_There were three total with the kid. The other two escaped in the confusion._ "It means that they're willing to get a bit more happy with their shooting." Jou said quietly. _They tried shooting Sora._

Taichi's gaze darted to the woman in question, seeing her wrap her arms tighter around Piyomon. "The higher ups won't like it." He said quietly. _Are we okay?_

"No," Yamato said with a shake of his head. "The soldier was dishonorably discharged. There's been panic about it." _The media is losing their shit._

_They're sending us out so we don't get cross examined._ Taichi frowned, shaking his head slowly. "But..."

The six digimon and six humans jumped when they heard the door open, Taichi turning to watch the woman walk into the room. "I see what you're telling your formidable leader of the events that transpired yesterday," she said, stopping just at the start of the table.

"Of course Mrs. Himekawa," Koushiro said, glancing up from his computer, a tiredness in his eyes.

"Maybe if he spent more time doing his job and less time letting people go, he would be caught up with current events." Himekawa commented, voice cold. "Tomorrow evening, you will be sent out to France. You'll be visiting a small farm about twenty miles from a village that is owned by a...Michel Takaishi and a Camille Deneuve. That has been the last known traces of several wanted fugitives."

Yamato stared at the wall blankly as he heard his grandfather's name mentioned, recalling the short note that he had received about the untimely passing of his mother.

"You will each be assigned a soldier that is to stay by your side at all times. Do you understand?" She asked.

They nodded, Taichi opening his mouth before shutting it, deciding that aggrivating the woman would only lead to something unpleasant happening, rather than getting answers to any questions he would be able to ask.

"Tomorrow night, at nineteen hundred hours." She turned, walking out of the room. Taichi sat down in a comfortable chair, Agumon standing by his side with a frown.

_There needs to be a message to warn them._

They all glanced towards Yamato when he signed the words, Taichi slowly shaking his head. "She's always a pain to deal with." He sighed. _I don't know if we can._

"Yeah, a pain." Yamato snorted, the two falling quiet as a heaviness settled on the room.

****

_"We don't have to tell anyone who we are."_

_Takeru glanced up from where he was reading, frowning when he heard Tailmon's voice, watching the digimon in human form enter the room, Hikari trailing behind her._

_"It's not..." Hikari sighed, closing her eyes. "These kids that are coming through...they..."_

_"They want someone that will help them. We can be that help." Takeru pointed out. "But we don't have to be the chosen to them."_

_"Lie?" Hikari asked with a frown, watching Takeru shake his head._

_"Just...not tell them our last names. Welcome them to our farm... The goats are doing okay. They can stay here for a couple of days, learn a bit about the farm, and then decide where to go. Wallace already agreed to be the front for anyone who wants to fight... We don't have to tell them who we are." Takeru said._

_"Peaceful...a peaceful existence," Hikari murmured, feeling Tailmon's hand on her shoulder. "I still want to help my brother."_

_"We aren't giving up on them." The digimon promised, pulling Hikari into a hug and looking at Takeru, confusion and hopelessness in her eyes._

_Hikari struggled out of her grip, turning on Tailmon. "We left them behind! The more people that come through, the more they talk about-" she cut herself off, collapsing into a chair and pulling her knees to her chest. "I want it to be over." She mumbled._

_"I know," Tailmon said softly, shaking herself of the human disguise and leaping up on the chair, sitting in front of Hikari's legs._

_"I want Taichi," Hikari leaned forward, grabbing the cat and pulling her close. Takeru watched her helplessly, feeling the confusion he had once felt in the digital world wash over him again. He was only fifteen and everything the two had done in the past two years since Wallace had shown up had just served to confuse him more._

_"Are you okay Takeru?"_

_He glanced up when he heard Patamon's voice, reaching up and tugging the small digimon into his arms._

_"No, but it'll be okay." He said quietly, closing his eyes and nearly jerking when he saw a field splattered in blood. He let go of Patamon, feeling himself crash to the ground._

__When the rain becomes blood, so comes the end._ _

_He felt a hand on his shoulder, opening his eyes to look at Hikari's worried face._

_"Are you okay?" She asked, offering him a hand up._

_"I'm....fine." He said slowly, trying to get the words out of his head._

****

"We just got-" Daisuke let out a groan, Takeru listening to the words in confusion. He could see nothing but darkness, something warm pressing down on him.

"Look, we have to get further away." Hikari's voice instructed, fury hot with anger. "It doesn't matter how far we have gotten-"

"Over there!"

He frowned, tipping his head back. "Yamato?" He asked quietly, feeling the person next to him freeze. "I..."

"He may be finally waking up." Ken's voice, definitely the person next to him. He felt cool hands press against his forehead, feeling the hand roughly shoved away.

"Nefertimon!"

Takeru felt himself be lifted onto the back of the digimon, someone starting to protest before Hikari cut them off. "We have to get away." She pressed on them.

"We have two digimon that can fly..." Miyako's voice for sure. Takeru felt himself be pressed against the digimon's neck, someone climbing on behind him.

"Lighdramon can keep up running." Daisuke said. "Wizarmon can go with Miyako and Iori, Lighdramon can carry myself and Ken."

"You're forgetting Upamon, Patamon, and Wormmon." Hikari pointed out.

"I'll carry Wormmon," Ken said with a shake of his head. "Iori will carry Upamon,"

"I'll ride with Hikari and Takeru." Patamon spoke up.

_"They went that way!"_

Takeru struggled against the hold around him, Hikari letting out a small grunt. "Fine time for you to pass out Takeru." She grumbled in his ear.

"It's going to rain blood," he whispered, his eyes flashing open. "Patamon-"

"Hold on," Hikari reached forward, steadying Takeru. "We're only resting for a moment, we're several hours out of the farm. Someone...the location has been compromised, but Camille was able to get us out, thanks to the warning from Baihumon."

"Who's Baihumon?" Daisuke asked, Takeru shaking his head.

"We can explain later. I'll ride on Pegasmon," he said, turning as Patamon perked up at the sound of his evolution. He nodded at Takeru, Hikari frowning.

"I don't think you're steady enough-" she began.

"I can ride with him," Ken offered. "Wizarmon and Daisuke can ride on Lighdramon. It'll mean Holsmon is not slowed down by added weight."

Wizarmon shook his head, letting out a sigh. "Before we all go running off, take these." He said, holding out several small bracelets. "They're imbued with the same power as the plates on the farm. Do you remember the patterns?"

"I believe so," Iori said quietly, watching the events unfold.

"As long as one partner on each digimon knows what they mean, "the digimon said, handing them out. Takeru slid off Nefertimon, stumbling ever so slightly before he got his bearings. He saw Patamon evolve in a flash of light, striding over to Pegasmon and clambering back on. He felt Ken slide on behind him, almost stiffening when he felt the arms slid around his waist.

He caught the bracelet Wizarmon had tossed, placing it on his wrist and grimacing. He still felt foggy, his head swimming.

"What happened?" Ken asked, Takeru's gaze sliding to the others. He nodded at Hikari, feeling Pegasmon take off as the others shuffled around. Nefertimon and Holsmon joined him in the air a moment later, Lighdramon chasing after their shadows.

"I don't know what you mean." Takeru said after a moment, closing his eyes.

_"It's just an old couple on the farm."_

He felt bile rise in his throat, closing his eyes and pressing his face into Pegasmon's mane.

"You're not well, are you?" Ken asked, Takeru nearly jumping when he heard the man's voice in his ear. He slowly shook his head, sighing.

"It's nothing." He ground out, opening his eyes to look at the night sky in front of him. "Do you know where we're going?"

"Hikari wouldn't tell us," Ken said, Takeru's gaze sliding over to her and Wizarmon, the young woman grimacing. She met his gaze, tipping her head back before very carefully signing to him.

_We're meeting up with Wallace._

Takeru frowned, recalling the simple yet perplexing finger speech they had learned when they were in the military compound, the eight of them having agreed on American sign language to learn. He glanced at the others, carefully using one hand to sign back.

_The farm?_

She shook her head, Ken watching the silent exchange.

_Camille and your grandfather are there, the farm is registered under their names._

_The..._ He hesitated as he started to sign the mindless question, Hikari slowly shaking her head once more.

_They were there._

"I see you two are full of many surprises." Ken commented, Takeru closing his eyes and placing his hands back in Pegasmon's mane. "Do you know where we're going?"

"The base," he said quietly.

"The base?" Ken asked.

"It's...Wallace's place, really." Takeru said, glancing behind him.

"I've known you for only two weeks and you are terrible at lying Takeru." Ken said softly.

"That's, good to know, I guess?" Takeru responded with a frown, wondering what Ken got by telling him that. He glanced behind him, swallowing before looking towards Hikari. He glanced down, realizing that he and she were both wearing the outfits that Wallace had gifted them.

"What is it that you're hiding from us?" Ken asked, Takeru closing his eyes.

"If I fall asleep, are you able to maintain pattern Pegasmon?" Takeru asked, feeling the start of a headache forming.

"Of course," the digimon responded, Takeru resting his head forward and closing his eyes.

_"We're under orders to not kill civilians."_

He sighed, feeling the blackness take him once more.

****

"Obviously they're not here."

Taichi glanced up from the chair he was sitting in, watching the woman and old man stand in the living room. He glanced around, Agumon sniffing at the air before wandering over to the fridge.

"I'm hungry," the digimon protested.

Taichi letting out a sigh. "He always thinks of his stomach first." He flashed the man and woman a smile, the man letting out a snort.

"You don't have to do this." He said quietly.

"I know, you're going to tell us that this isn't our fault, that we should be striving to do better as people, that we need to be nicer. I heard it all before." Taichi waved his hand, listening to Agumon begin to raid the fridge. "Something tells me that you had people in here before though. And more than just you two."

"I had a niece that visited recently. And honestly, we have people in and out buying milk and eggs." The woman said with a small smile, her English accented enough that Taichi was having a hard time keeping up with it.

"They went that way!" He glanced up when he heard Koushiro's call, pushing himself out of the chair.

"Well, it seems as if we found a trace of who we were looking for. If you happen to see them again, tell them SkullGreymon roams the night sky." He nodded at them, Agumon scarfing down as much food as he could before Taichi dragged the digimon out into the farm.

"Who were they?" Jou asked, standing next to Taichi as he walked out of the house, Agumon finishing his food. They could see the six soldiers exploring the outer fields, Taichi shrugging.

"It's just an old couple on the farm." He explained. "They honestly didn't look like they were going to be any trouble. Pleasant enough, but you know how it could be."

_My grandfather,_

Taichi caught Yamato's gesture from the corner of his eye, turning to the blond with a raised eyebrow. "Do you have something to say?" He demanded. _From the looks of it. The others aren't here though._

"Your digimon is a pig," Yamato scoffed. _They're going to keep looking._

"He just likes to eat, there's nothing wrong with that." Taichi grumbled. _I know, I know. But they're not here._

"The digimon need the energy to evolve." Koushiro interjected. _We already have a trace on them._

_Can we give them time?_ "It's still disgusting to see him eating other people's leftovers." Yamato responded, voice cold.

"Hey, no need to be a jerk about it." Taichi groaned. _We're going to have to._

"Please, can you two not fight?" Koushiro sighed. _I sent the trace the opposite way._

"What are we gonna do with these two in here?" The four men looked up when they heard the soldier's voice, Yamato grimacing.

"We could just get rid of them." Another grinned, Taichi's stomach flipping in disgust.

"We're under orders to not kill civilians." Yamato commented, voice chilled. Taichi let his gaze wander over to Gabumon, the digimon seeming to free as Yamato's voice lowered.

"No one will have to know." A third soldier rolled their eyes, Taichi crossing his arms over his chest.

"The last person who killed a civilian got discharged and then disappeared, found dead later. Do you really want to take that risk?" He demanded.

"That was because it was one of you freaks." The guard responded. "If it's just a couple of French citizens, no one's really going to care."

"No," Jou said, voice sharp. "You heard what the orders were. We're going after the escapees."

"You're no fun," the first guard said with a snort.

"Good," Taichi growled out, voice low. "We're not here to have fun. We're here to get a job done. See the difference?" They watched the four men roll their eyes, all of them heading back to the convoy they had arrived in. Mimi and Sora were waiting for their return at the hotel rooms they had procured in town, Taichi feeling a pit of fear open in the bottom of his stomach as Koushiro began laying the route out, explaining which way he believed the escapees would be running towards.

"Shall we go after them now?"

Taichi watched the man, nodding after a moment. "We don't want to waste time." He said.

"And us?" The soldiers asked.

"You won't be able to keep up with the digimon...follow us behind in the car." Taichi suggested, turning and stalking out of the house. They could rely on Kabuterimon and Garurumon to get them as far away from the others for now.

****

_Takeru leaned against the wall, watching the four teenagers work, Miyako being careful to not overdo it. He was pleased to see her up and walking again, the purple haired girl and her Poromon seeming much more alive than when they had first showed up at the door._

_"Are you going to just stand there?"_

_Takeru glanced over to Ken when he heard his voice, raising an eyebrow slowly. "What are you gonna do about it if I do?" He asked._

_"You could at least help us." Daisuke protested, looking up at Takeru. "Honestly, we have no idea what we're doing in this garden."_

_"I think you're doing fine." Takeru promised. "Besides, I'm about to start afternoon chores. I would hate to be distracted and miss them. You know how the goats get."_

_"That's because they know you're a sucker who'll feed them if they even bleat at you with a hungry look in their eyes." Daisuke grinned._

_"He has a point," Pamaton said from where he was perched on the fence next to Takeru._

_"You aren't supposed to take his side." Takeru grumbled, glancing down at Patamon. The digimon grinned back at him._

_"Would you like help with the chores?" Ken asked, Takeru glancing at him and shaking his head ever so slightly._

_"They're simple enough to do with one person. Besides, Patamon can help me." Takeru grinned._

_"I can?" Patamon asked with a frown._

_"You can," Takeru agreed._

_"That's no fair," the digimon huffed._

_"You're my partner, you're supposed to take my side." Takeru replied. "All's fair in..." He trailed off, frowning at the statement before shaking his head. "You know what, it doesn't actually matter." He pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling the start of a headache begin to form._

_"Are you okay?" Ken asked, concern lacing his words._

_"I'll be fine, just the start of a headache." Takeru said, looking up at them._

_"You seem to get headaches quite frequently." Iori commented, brushing the dirt off his hands and turning to look at Takeru. "Have you considered making sure it's not something more concerning medical wise?"_

_"I mean...." Takeru shrugged. They had been there a week, and in the past week, Takeru could count about eight headaches he had come down with, each one seemingly worst than the last. "If the political climate was anything better, I would probably be more willing to go to a doctor, but currently, no."_

_"Right," Iori said with a frown, his gaze flicking to Miyako. The girl smiled, getting up from where she had been weeding a bed of strawberry plants._

_"As long as you know that you're okay." She said, Poromon jumping up into her arms and nestling down._

_"It'll be fine." He said, mentally frowning as he tried to work the angle that the four would have to care about someone so quickly. "How are you feeling? Not pressing yourself to hard?"_

_"I'm feeling much better, thank you." Miyako said with a nod. "I haven't actually been up to see the goats, may I go with you?"_

_"Sure," he said, turning to leave the garden. Miyako followed behind as he headed up to the barn, listening to her quiet footsteps behind him._

_"They care a lot about you," she commented, catching Takeru off guard as he pulled the barn door open on its wheels._

_"Eh?" He asked with a frown._

_"Daisuke and Ichijouji," she explained. "They care a lot about you. Don't know what it is with them and blonds, but..."_

_"That's a disturbing image." Takeru informed her, smiling when Miyako snorted with her laughter._

_"Happy to provide." She grinned._

_"So, can I ask a question?" Takeru asked._

_"Sure," she said with a wink._

_"What is with Daisuke and Ken?" He asked. "Are they a couple or....?"_

_She laughed, more softly this time as Takeru began to check the waters, dumping two when he saw bird shit in them and proceeding to refill them. "They are indeed a couple. In a non-traditional sense? I mean..." She shrugged. "Daisuke has a tendency to knock sense into Ken and Ken makes Daisuke think. While they're dependent on each other for most things like functioning on a day to day basis, I'm not sure how...romantic it is?"_

_"They're really loud at night sometimes," Poromon spoke up, Miyako glancing down at him. "They like to wrestle naked!"_

_"Thanks..." Miyako said with a sigh, gaze flicking up to Takeru. "They have sex, okay...but I don't think it's really romantic?"_

_"That, makes sense actually." Takeru said with a nod, reflecting back on their behavior over the past week. "What about you and Iori? You're not actually related, right?"_

_"We might as well be." She said with a smile. "We rely on each other. I think of him as a brother."_

_"I'm glad you four are here." Takeru said softly._

_"I remember you from school." Miyako said, the subject nearly causing Takeru to jump as he moved to turn off the hose. "At least, I remember your disappearance. Everyone said you had moved but...your last name is Takaishi,"_

_"Yeah?" He said with a frown._

_"You're one of the original eight." Miyako said quietly._

_"I don't know what you're talking about." Takeru said, face blank as he tried to process what Miyako was telling him._

_"Your brother is Yamato, right?" She asked. "There aren't many Japanese Chosen that stayed in the human world. And there are very few blonds that-"_

_"You can't tell the others." Takeru said, cutting her off._

_"I won't," she promised, watching him. "I'm sure they haven't figured it out. I don't understand how Hikari fits in, but you..." She shook her head. "I met Yamato once, you look very much like him."_

_"Thank you," he said quietly, glancing away as he checked the feeders, deciding both the sheep and goats had enough food for the time being._

_"The babies are cute," Miyako said, looking over the gate to see Sylia with her kids._

_"They are," Takeru agreed, leaning against the fence to watch. He felt a peace descend over him, closing his eyes and considering the options before him._

****

Hikari shifted from her position on top of Nefertimon, watching as the digimon slowly descended into the country side, the building that they were looking for appearing in the distance. She saw Wallace outside, the young man frowning as the four digimon came to a stop, devolving as soon as their passengers were on the ground.

"Something happen?" He asked, glancing between Hikari and Takeru, who was only barely awake and leaning against Ken in the effort to maintain face.

"The farm was attacked," Hikari said, stepping up. "We had to evacuate."

"Damage?" He asked.

"Unknown," Wizarmon responded.

"We're assuming destroyed, but as far as we know, we don't." Hikari added.

"Is he...okay?" Wallace asked, his gaze darting to Takeru. Takeru grimaced, pushing himself off Ken and taking a few unsteady steps towards Wallace, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Looks like the fight came to us." He said softly.

"He's probably sick," Hikari responded, tugging Takeru upright. "He fell unconscious right before we left the farm and hasn't...been completely right since then."

"So we prepare for an attack here?" Terriermon asked, jumping up on Wallace's shoulder with a small frown.

"Two days, maybe less." Hikari responded. "It depends on how well they can track us..." She considered the options, shaking her head.

"Well then, maybe this is good news..." Wallace frowned. "The Harmonious ones will be closing the gates to the digital world, for good. Anyone on the other side can stay, but anyone here..."

"Will be trapped." Hikari said quietly.

"Not only that, but their digimon will slowly disappear."

"What does that mean for us?" Ken demanded.

"Everyone is evacuating." Wallace explained. "This was information passed to us by Gennai as of this morning. Catherine is helping the ones who are still here disappear into the digital world. It'll just be us...eight? Ryo, and those six."

"It could end here," Hikari said softly. "If-"

"We have three days to get them to the digital world." Wallace said. "But that means revealing our position to them."

"The colonies are thriving then?" Hikari asked.

"Of course," Wallace said with a nod. "They've even managed to get goats to adapt to the digital world, along with sheep and pigs. Which means we have a source of fresh meat while there. It's hard to say if they will change over time due to the digital nature but..."

"It's a start," Hikari said quietly. "Okay. Then we set up a gate and force the others into it."

"How can we trust that they won't try to get back out?" Daisuke asked, speaking up for the first time since they had landed, wandering to stand near Ken once more.

"I doubt they'll want to stay here any longer." Takeru said, forcing his eyes open and looking at Wallace. "Are we using formation E?"

"Haven't thought about it that far." Wallace said with a frown. "You really need to lay down before you collapse."

"I'll take him to the infirmary." Hikari said with a sigh, tugging Takeru that way. He followed, shaking his head slowly. She heard footsteps as the others followed Wallace in, Takeru struggling to push himself away from Hikari.

"We need to-" he began.

"You're unwell," Hikari interrupted. "We'll send a distress signal, catch their attention. Force them to come to us. Please, just get some sleep tonight."

"It's going to rain blood," Takeru warned.

"I know." Hikari said, voice grim. "But we're going to deal with it. And remember, no one gets left behind."

"Okay," he said, sitting down on the bed that they had come to. He closed his eyes, tipping his head back and letting out a slow sigh. He rubbed his head, feeling the pounding seem to grow worse.

"Do you want anything?" Hikari asked, watching Patamon jump up on the bed with Takeru.

"No, just let me know when you guys face them." He said, feeling the xhaustion tug at him. He let himself fall asleep, dreading the dreams that may or may not come.

****

"I have..." Koushiro frowned as he glanced up from his computer, Taichi catching the grimace.

"What?" He asked, rubbing his head. They were sitting in the hotel room, the six of them and their partners huddled, while the soldiers went and had themselves a drink.

"Well, about seven different digital signals," he said after a moment. "And it looks to be in the direction they were heading. And with this much digital action, it's not...we have to go."

"All in one area?" Yamato asked, his gaze darting to the others, watching Sora cling to Piyomon, Mimi hugging her knees to her chest.

"Yeah, about three hours from here." Koushiro said lifelessly.

"They wouldn't but themselves at risk-" Jou said, reaching forward. Taichi shook him off, turning to look at him.

"Unless they wanted to draw us in." He said.

"We could leave now." Yamato commented. "Take the car and drive there. It's only a couple hours, right?"

"Yeah," Koushiro said with a nod.

"And the soldiers?" Jou asked.

"They're drunk, what more do we need?" Taichi asked. "We can leave them here."

"They can still track us." Koushiro said quietly.

"I know, but we have to take the chance to...apprehend the others." Taichi said, choosing his words very carefully. _We have to go after them._

_But we don't want to capture them!_ Mimi's eyes were wide at the idea, the woman shaking her head slowly.

"I know," Jou interjected, shaking his head as he saw Mimi's hands move. _We will warn them._

_They had to activate the signals for a very good reason._ "Then we leave now?" Taichi asked, looking at their partners, the digimon almost looking haunted.

"Yeah," Koushiro said, shutting his laptop and leaving it on the table. "Let's just get out of here."

The six stepped out of the hotel room, their digimon following. They made their way to the parking lot, watching the uneasy glances that were thrown their way. Taichi shook his head, climbing into the driver's seat and shutting the door, gripping the steering wheel tight.

"That way," Koushiro said, pulling up a small map on his digivice that had the access of the digital spike. Taichi nodded, beginning to drive.

****

_"We're not doing anything here."_

_Takeru paused as he heard the voice, swallowing as he lurked outside the cracked door to Ken and Daisuke's shared room. he felt bad for listening, felt like he was stepping in somewhere he shouldn't be._

_"I know we aren't," Ken's voice was soft. "We just have to wait a bit longer, perhaps then we can figure out exactly what's going on."_

_"It's been almost two weeks. I want to be doing something, anything." Daisuke responded, Takeru hearing Ken sigh._

_"Would you be upset if I tell you that I may have fallen for our mysterious blonde host?" Ken asked, Takeru frowning as he heard the casual tone of teasing underneath the question._

_"Eh? No," Daisuke said, Takeru taking a step back. He closed his eyes, backtracking to the door before opening it and slamming it shut, making a point of stomping down the hall towards his room-just past the guest room they were staying in._

_"Yo Takeru, what's with the door slamming?" Daisuke asked, poking his head out of the door. He watched the blond, Takeru glancing up at him._

_"I didn't realize that I had slammed it, my....apologies?" He asked, slowly raising an eyebrow. "Not that it matters, I guess, since it's...never mind." He said with a shake of his head. "I'm going into town today. Do you or Ken want to join me?"_

_"I'm milking with Hikari in an hour," Daisuke said with a shake of his head, Ken appearing at his side._

_"I'd be delighted to go with you." He said with a smile._

_"Sweet, we'll take the express carriage then." Takeru said._

_"The...what?" Ken said with a frown, watching as Patamon appeared at Takeru's shoulder._

_"You said we didn't have to do that again." The digimon complained._

_"It'll be fun!" Takeru said, turning to watch Patamon with a grin. "Besides, the kids love it."_

_"If I say no?" Patamon asked._

_"I'll beg until you say yes?" Takeru said with a grin. "Come on, you enjoy doing it too."_

_"I'm not a-"_

_...._

_Takeru finished harnessing Pegasmon to the carriage, Wizarmon casting the glamour to transform him into a regular looking horse. Ken stared in silent amazement, Pegasmon letting out a small snort and stamping his hoof._

_"I do not appreciate this Takeru." He said softly._

_"But you love me enough to do it," Takeru said, scratching Pegasmon's ears, the digimon closing his eyes._

_"Yes, I suppose I do..." He sighed._

_"Remember the two months that Tailmon decided she'd be a better guard dog and didn't evolve past Plotmon for anything?" Takeru asked, a grin on his face as he grabbed the reins, pulling himself up into the front of the carriage and offering Ken his hand. Pegasmon snorted, shaking his head. Takeru fixed his grip lightly on the reins, knowing that he would have no need to steer the digimon. The pair travelled in silence, Ken glancing behind them to see the farm fade into the distance._

_"Why do you keep this up?" He asked._

_"Keep what up?" Takeru asked, glancing up from the road._

_"The...everything. Making Pegasmon look like a horse, running the farm... I saw the fight with Daisuke. You are capable of taking the fight to Japan." Ken said softly._

_"Yeah, maybe I thought of that." Takeru said with a slight incline of his head. "But, we're in the position now to help more people, rather than fight."_

_Pegasmon pulled the carriage to a stop at the edge of town Takeru, letting out a sigh._

_"I see," Ken said softly._

_"I don't think you do," Takeru murmured, pulling on the reigns and clicking his tongue. Pegasmon began to move, Takeru directing him towards the market they needed. "It's hard for someone to understand, any of it. So...just..." He shook his head, offering Ken a smile. "Accept it for what it is instead of trying to understand why."_

_"Of course," he said quietly, dropping the subject completely._

****

Takeru shoved himself off the bed, feeling better rested than he had prior to coming to the base. He wandered into the communal hall, listening to the conversations fade.

Hikari grimaced from her spot with Tailmon, Patamon appearing on Takeru's head like magic.

"Any updates?" Takeru asked, Wallace looking up at him.

"Twenty four hours until the gates close," he said, glancing over his shoulder. "Ryo has cleared everyone else out. We seven and those six are the only ones that are left on earth with digimon."

"Ryo made it through okay?" Takeru asked, striding forth and looking down at the maps on the table, finding the familiar landscape of the digital world, the human colonies marked out.

"Yep, though your friend here has an extremely uncomfortable knowledge of the digital world." Wallace said with a nod at Ken.

"He tried to enslave digimon, it's all said and done with." Daisuke said with a wave of his hand.

"Ohhh, you're that Ichijouji Ken," Takeru said, feeling several pair of eyes land on him at once. "I thought the name sounded familiar."

"You're in a particularly happy mood." Tailmon commented, opening one of her eyes from where she had been napping on Hikari's lap. Takeru felt his smile fade, shaking his head.

"Guess I feel less doom and gloom than I did before." He said after a moment, his gaze landing on Hikari.

"So...." Daisuke said, frowning.

"We fought the Kaiser, briefly, when we were younger." Hikari said. "Never saw the outcome of it, as other...things popped up. Good to see that you're safe Ken." She said with a smile, though Takeru could see the twitch in her eye as her hands pressed down on Tailmon's fur, the digimon resigning herself to Hikari's movements.

"That would make sense," Ken said, voice clipped but tired sounding.

"So, back to the subject at hand." Wallace said, clapping his hands.

"Getting everyone to the digital world. There's only...thirteen of us left human side." Hikari said, standing up as Tailmon jumped off his lap. "And it looks like Wallace will be the head of this rescue operation."

"Rescue operation?" Miyako asked with a frown.

"Yeah, that's what we're calling it." Wallace said with a nod. "With the gates closing, we don't want to leave the others behind."

"That's why you sent up the digital signals, catch their attention and draw them here." Iori said quietly.

"We know that they have limited evolution powers, even with the digivices at their side." Takeru said quietly, reaching up and touching Patamon's head. "Once we're in the digital world, there is no possible way for anyone else to come through without a digivice or the ability to activate a gate. It's been an issue for ages. And, once we're on the other side, we aren't-"

"Of course!" Hikari said brightly, turning to Takeru. "That's why they never-"

"Uh huh, which means with the gates closing and no new chosen-" Takeru said, grinning.

"We're safe and they're screwed." She said, her arms over her chest. "But...didn't Gennai tell us that the digital world eventually treat us like viruses?"

"Fuck him." Takeru responded. "The colonies have been living there for years with no issues. I think we'll be just fine. Unless he meant the eight original, in which case, I'd still rather be there than here."

Hikari flashed him an understanding nod, Miyako clearing her throat.

"Who are you two?" She asked.

"It doesn't matter," Hikari said, reaching up and gripping the crest around her neck. "What matters is that the others will be rescued."

"We'll explain it later," Takeru amended, Miyako frowning and hsaking her head, but deciding to not press the issue. Wallace nodded in agreement, watching as Terriermon and Lopmon glanced at each other.

"We have about an hour before they show up." Wizarmon said, looking up from where he had-at least Takeru had assumed he had-been sleeping. "It looks like they are coming alone."

"Are we ready for a fight?" Wallace asked with a grin.

"Did you set up a gate for us to get through?" Takeru retorted back.

"Of course," he said with a nod.

"Then yeah," Takeru said, Patamon hopping off his shoulder.

****

Taichi grimaced as he pulled the vehicle up to the small shack building, glancing around the field beyond it.

"There's no way and entire base is hiding in that." He said with a small shake of his head.

"Well, it might be under it." Yamato suggested, quickly getting out of the car and kissing the ground. "I am never letting you drive again." He warned.

"The trackers can still hear us." Koushiro piped up.

"Like I give a shit," Taichi said with a roll of his eyes, getting out of the car and opening the back. The other three and the six digimon hopped out, everyone turning to look at the building.

"I feel sick," Jou grimaced, feeling Gomamon pat his knee.

"At least you can be sick out here." The digimon said brightly.

"Are you sure this is where the signal went up?" Taichi asked, his gaze scanning the area. All six tensed as they saw the shack door swing open, looking at the lone Terriermon stepping out.

"Welcome!" He said, letting out a low whistle. Their digimon tensed, Taichi's gaze sliding from Koushiro to Yamato.

"An ambush?" He guessed.

"Yep!" Terriermon responded, Yamato covering his head as something fell. He jumped backwards as the Fladramon straightened, looking him in the eyes.

"Gabumon!" He said, turning to his partner. Gabumon was already springing into action, years of training making the transition from Gabumon to Garurumon almost seamless as he landed on the Fladramon, knocking him to the ground.

"We really don't want a fight," a voice commented, Taichi's gaze flicking to the guy that walked out from behind Terriermon, scooping up the digimon while another one hung off his shoulder, watching them curiously. "But..."

"We're just...invistigating." Taichi said carefully.

"Taichi!"

He stumbled, blinking down as he felt arms wrap around his neck, his own coming around Hikari's waist.

"The digital gates are being closed off, the harmonious ones will no longer be calling any new chosen. Come with us." She pleaded, wrapping her arms tighter around her brother. "Please,"

"Oh no, it seems as if we have been overwhelmed and are being held prisoner." Taichi said with a completely emotionless tone of voice. "Whatever shall we do?"

"I suppose we have to give up." Koushiro said, holding up his hands. "The horror, we have been overwhelmed."

"Oh dear, I don't think I brought my medical supplies," Jou said with actual worry in his voice.

"Far be it for me to try and fight against the odds." Yamato said with a roll of his eyes.

"So, you'll come with?" Wallace asked, a grin on his face.

"We have no choice." Koushiro responded, shaking his head.

"They...really don't want to fight?" Daisuke asked, V-mon already back at his side, Gabumon standing next to Yamato with ease.

"Of course not," Takeru snorted.

"Hey, you don't speak for us." Yamato said, Takeru rolling his eyes.

"I'm glad you're okay." Hikari said, taking a step back and looking Taichi in the eye.

"Lost...lovers?" Daisuke asked after a moment.

"Try siblings you dolt," Takeru responded.

"Siblings...you mean to say that you two were the renegades everyone always went on about?" Daisuke demanded, turning to face Takeru with wide eyes. "And you didn't tell us?"

"I mean..." Hikari frowned. "We really had no reason _to_ tell you."

"I...see," Daisuke said slowly.

"We have ten minutes before the gates close indefinitely. We need to get there now." Wallace said, gesturing towards the shack. "The others are downstairs waiting for us."

"Thank you," Taichi said softly, the six of them following the other four down as Wallace ran the program, entering the destination. Overhead, they heard gunshots and shouts to come out, Wallace shaking his head.

"Ah, shit..." Taichi grimaced.

"Doesn't matter, they can't get through." Hikari said, taking her brother's hand as they were transported to the digital world, the sound of a bomb being the last thing any of them heard as the thirteen humans and fifteen digimon landed in the digital world, Taichi looking up at the sky and letting out a laugh.

"It's raining blood," Takeru said softly, looking up at the sky, the rain falling in what looked to be red drops, though it was the reflection of the sun.

"It's good to have you back Takeru," Yamato responded, pulling him into a hug. Takeru returned the hug, closing his eyes and letting out a slow breath as he relaxed, double counting digimon and humans to make sure there was thirteen and fifteen, finding himself relaxing when there was indeed that many.

"I'm glad you're safe." Takeru said happily, feeling alive for the first time in ages.

**Author's Note:**

> Totally gross but fun fact: If you get goat birth goop on you and forget, other goats will try to lick you clean!


End file.
